


A Platinum Journey

by operatorrhythmi



Category: Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, F/M, Original Character(s), Team Galactic - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-17
Updated: 2013-12-19
Packaged: 2017-11-07 22:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/436277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/operatorrhythmi/pseuds/operatorrhythmi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Traveling through the region of Sinnoh, our two heros, Dawn and Lucas, will face many challenges.  Both from the past, and the near future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A Platinum Journey 

Chapter One

Serendipity

 

It was another calm, peaceful morning in the town of Twinleaf. The sun, just barely over the horizon, was lightly touching its warm rays on the earth. Flocks of Starly flew over the small town, all in search of their morning feed.   
As a result of early spring, a light snow covered the ground. It wasn’t enough to deter anyone from their usual habits though.   
Though early it may be, plenty of people were awake; some walking their Pokémon, some heading off to work, and some for no apparent reason at all.   
One person in particular, was a little all too excited at such an early hour. Tapping his foot impatiently, he looked up at his friend’s room with an eager, orange gaze. Bending down, he picked up a pebble, and then tossed it at her window. It made a distinct ‘ping’ noise, and shortly after, the bluenette girl appeared by the window, mouthing for him to wait.   
Angrily, he began to tap his foot in annoyance again. She was making them late, and late was something Barry hated to be. His motto: to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is to be dead, and fined...heavily.   
After another treacherous moment of waiting, his friend finally came out of her house, still adjusting her white scarf. “Finally, Dawn,” Barry groaned.   
She rolled her eyes. “Pardon me. I’m sorry I forgot to schedule for my mom to be out of town.”   
At this, Barry grumbled. She could be such a pain...but a very cute pain. The way she could be all smiles one minute, then dancing a temper tantrum the next. She may be his opposite, but Barry could confidently say that he liked her more than a friend should. “You sure your mom isn’t leaving for work for a few more hours?” Barry asked. Keeping Dawn out of trouble was something he tried to do, but was never really successful at it.   
“Hopefully,” she simply answered.   
This was enough to suffice Barry. Now, the challenge he posed every time they went to the lake. “Race ya’ to the lake,” he proposed.   
Dawn smirked. They had done this ever since they were little, and he usually won, but today, Dawn felt like she had a good shot. “Nah, I don’t feel like running today,” She said, with an inward smirk.   
This made Barry sigh. “Fine, you’re no fun anymore.”   
They began to walk towards the pathway that forked to go to Sandgem Town, and the lake. Making sure that Barry wasn’t aware of her intentions, Dawn quickly began to run ahead. “Psych!”   
Barry snickered. He figured as much. “You little- Dawn look out!”   
Just in time for Dawn to hear his warning, she rammed into someone. They didn’t fall, but the person had to support Dawn and his own weight. Quickly, Dawn stood tall, and back away, blushing out of embarrassment. “I’m so sorry!” She apologized.   
The guy smiled nervously as he too began to apologize. “No, you’re fine. I was the one not paying attention.”   
A few feet away, the three Pokémon that were following the boy, watched the scene unfold. The little fire chimp began to take great interest in the girl though. The water penguin was taking interest in the blonde boy, and the grass turtle was taking interest in a patch of clover. “Chim...” the fire chimp mumbled, before sprinting over to the girl and leaping up on her shoulder. “Chim-Chimchar!” He greeted, flashing her his toothy smile.   
Though Dawn was surprised by his welcome, she couldn’t help but smile over how cute he was. “Now, Chimchar, that’s not the proper way to approach somebody,” the boy said, still speaking nervously.   
Dawn giggled. “Well, if this is improper, than I guess running into somebody for a first impression is even less proper.”   
The boy laughed lightly at her remark. “By the way, I’m Lucas,” he introduced.   
As Dawn introduced herself and Barry, a feeling of disgust fell upon the blonde boy. Their giggle talk was making him want to gag himself.   
That’s when he noticed that the blue penguin had toddled over to him. “Pip-lup!” He called in a shrill tone. Out of the three starters traveling with the boy, Piplup was Barry’s favorite by far. They turned into the powerful Empoleon, and with proper training, they could easily overpower the other starters.   
“Well, I guess I’ll introduce you all. The one on your shoulder is Chimchar, the penguin is Piplup, and the grass turtle over there is Turtwig. He’s my personal favorite,” Lucas introduced, all Pokémon smiling when their names were called.   
“Are they yours?” Dawn asked, now holding Chimchar in her arms.   
Lucas shook his head. “No, they belong to Professor Rowan in Sandgem Town.”   
Dawn’s eyes lit up at the professor’s name. She had always enjoyed programs about him and other region professors when she was younger, and she still found his work to be amazing. “You work for him? That’s amazing!” Dawn beamed.   
Lucas blushed. “Y-yeah, he just wanted me to take the Pokémon to the lake for some fresh air. Well, you know what I’m doing. Mind if I ask why you two are out so early?” He decided to ask, glancing from Barry back to Dawn.   
Dawn shrugged. “Kind of a long story really,” she answered, messing with the fur on Chimchar’s head.   
Barry sighed. “Not even close, Dawn. We’re sneaking out, how long of a story is that?” He asked, almost in a mocking tone.   
This kind of behavior, in Lucas’ mind, was the behavior of a couple. It made him curious as to if they were dating, but he didn’t want to ask. He watched as Dawn rolled her eyes at Barry.   
Deciding she didn’t want to get into an argument with Barry, Dawn turned back to face Lucas. “We should probably get going. We’re heading to the lake, and I’d hate to take up your time,” Dawn spoke, feeling a slight pain, almost as if she were upset that she was having to leave so soon.   
Lucas felt a rise in hope. “The lake huh? That’s where we were just heading actually.”   
Hearing this, Barry felt angry. How dare this guy try to intrude on their time together? He wasn’t about to stand for this. “Hey, I-” Barry began, but a different voice cut in.   
“Dawn Platina Berlitz! You better have a good reason for being out of the house!”   
Dawn drew in a sharp breath, and her eyes widened. “Oh crap,” she mumbled, turning to face her mother.   
“I don’t know what you are doing, nor do I know who this is, but you had better start explaining,” she threatened, glancing at the two boys and her daughter.   
Dawn began to tremble. There was no way she could even begin to lie her way out of this, and Barry didn’t know what to do either.   
Chimchar squeaked a bit at Dawn’s tightened grip, suddenly giving Lucas an idea. “A-Actually ma’am, they were just helping me with something,” Lucas quickly spoke.   
This gained the attention of Dawn’s mother, but she was wondering if he was going to say something believable, or an obvious lie. “Oh, really? What exactly would that be?” She asked.   
“You see I am one of Professor Rowan’s assistants. We were taking the starter Pokémon out to the lake for some exercise, when these three escaped. Professor Rowan became very upset at this and told me to track them down and return them. I found Turtwig easily, but as I continued the search for Piplup and Chimchar, I came upon these two with them. Apparently they were causing a bit of a disturbance, so I claim full responsibility for this,” he spoke, ever so convincingly.   
However, Dawn’s mother was still skeptical. “Right, uh-huh,” she glanced at Dawn. “Explain to me why you’re completely dressed?” She asked.   
Dawn was about to roll her eyes, but she stopped herself, figuring it wouldn’t go over too well. “Oh, come on, mom. Did you really expect me to go outside in my pajamas? No thanks!” She quickly said, trying not to giggle. Lying wasn’t exactly her specialty.   
Dawn’s mother nodded. It was believable enough. She had heard some rustling outside earlier, but she just assumed that it was Glameow messing around with a few of the other neighbors’ Pokémon.   
However, Dawn had gotten into the habit of stretching the truth lately, so she figured she should at least approach this cautiously. “Fine then, but I guess since you’re up, you might as well get a head start on all the chores I was going to leave for you. Finish up this little meeting and get back to the house, unless you’d like to be grounded for a few months,” she said, smirking before she left.   
Dawn sighed. When it came to chores, her mother was the queen of finding complicated and unnecessary tasks. “I...better get going,” Dawn said, blushing out of embarrassment. She began to feel angry for her mother yelling at her in front of them. It was so embarrassing.   
Lucas gave her a sympathetic smile. “It’s no problem, I understand,” he said. Dawn gave Chimchar a light hug before handing him over to Lucas.   
During that, his hands were atop hers, and she felt her cheeks get warm. Quickly, she returned her hands to her side. “Sorry about that!” Lucas apologized.   
Barry rolled his eyes and looked down at Piplup, who was pretending to gag himself with his flipper. This made Barry chuckle. “Same here,” he whispered. Piplup looked up, and chirped a giggle.   
Chimchar gave a whimper of protest. He liked the girl far too much to leave so quickly! When he tried to squirm out of Lucas’ grip, Dawn’s hand fell atop his head. “Don’t worry, Chimchar, maybe I’ll see you again,” she soothed, and then she looked up at Lucas. “You too,” she added, the blush flooding back into her cheeks. His cheeks became a rosy pink, and just when he was about to reply, he was interrupted.   
“Dawn!” Came the distant voice of Dawn’s mother.   
“’Bye,” Dawn curtly said, giving neither of the boys a chance to say anything.   
Barry grinned. “She’s going to have fun today. See ya’,” he said, turning around to walk back to his home.   
Lucas looked on in the direction Barry and Dawn had left, confusion evident in his eyes. “Strange guy,” he commented, looking in the direction of Barry. Then he looked at Dawn, who was now barely visible on the slight hill. “But her,” he began, “I think we’ll meet again.”   
Chimchar nodded. He had the exact same feeling. 

 

“Are you serious? This whole list?” A disgruntled Dawn asked.   
“Yep, and that’s only the front,” her mother said, smiling.   
As Dawn began to read the seemingly endless list of chores, her mother continued. “I have to work late tonight, so I expect that whole list to be done. I probably have to work really late and won’t be home until midnight. If that’s not enough time for you, then we’re going to have some problems,” she explained, not intending it to sound so much like a threat.   
Dawn sighed. There was no way this was all going to be finished. With that, her mother left, and she began to work on the tasks at hand. Getting completely engrossed in her work, and not wanting to get into trouble, time practically flew by. Before she knew it, the clock had struck ten at night. All that was left was her room.   
Walking over to her windows, she opened them to let the smell of the wood cleaner out. When she turned around to start cleaning, a light thump caught her attention. Cautiously, she turned back around, not knowing what to expect. Her sapphire blue eyes were met by the gray gaze of Chimchar. “Chim-ha-ha!” He squeaked, running over to the confused girl.   
“Chimchar? How’d you get here?” She asked, picking up the fire chimp. He giggled a reply, and then pointed back at her window.   
Dawn walked back over to her window then scanned the ground below. A bit down she street she spotted a frantic looking Lucas. She then looked at Chimchar and smiled. “Looks like you escaped for real this time, huh? Let’s go see if we can have a little fun,” she said, adding a playful wink to Chimchar. He flashed her a toothy grin in response.   
Once outside on the porch, Dawn began to look around for Lucas. He didn’t seem to be anywhere. “Let’s go for a walk, Chimchar. He couldn’t have gone too far,” she said, Chimchar hopping down from her grasp.   
While walking through the streets, Dawn made sure to keep an eye out for the stray Luxray that had been roaming around. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to get hurt.   
They had about reached the end of the town when a familiar face turned around the corner of a house. “Piiip?” The penguin seemed to ask, his beak curving into a smile when he saw Chimchar. “Piplup!” He called, hurrying over to the two. Piplup quickly explained to Chimchar where Lucas was then hurried off. Chimchar sighed before looking up at Dawn.   
“He completely reminds me of Barry,” she commented while laughing a bit. “But I guess we should follow him.”   
Dawn and Chimchar set off to follow their penguin guide, and he led them almost to the lake. “Starly, use Featherdance!” Came the familiar voice of Lucas.   
Up ahead, Dawn saw Lucas battling what looked to be a Luxray. Her eyes widened at the sight. It was the Luxray that had been wreaking havoc around Twinleaf. Surly Lucas wasn’t dense enough to battle it? Especially with a Pokémon who had the type disadvantage?   
The feathers on the wings of the little Starling Pokémon began to glow, and then she spun around, sending the glowing feathers at Luxray. The electric Pokémon didn’t take too kindly to this, letting out a roar of dissatisfaction.   
Luxray’s front paws began to glow with a black energy. “Use Quick Attack to dodge!” Lucas ordered. As soon as Luxray began to run at Starly, the bird Pokémon dodged with ease, letting the night breeze carry her in whichever direction.   
Luxray became infuriated that his Night Slash failed to hit, so he began to charge up his electrical attack. “Lux,” he hissed, blue electricity now cloaking his blue and black pelt. “Ray!” He hissed, firing the attack.   
Lucas already knew what to use to dodge. Quick Attack wouldn’t work because Starly would need time to move, but one certain move would work. “Aerial Ace!” The little gray and black starling did a quick loop in the air, circling around the electricity. She then went for Luxray.   
Being low leveled, and the attack being not very effective, it did minimal damage. Luxray bared his fangs at Lucas. That’s when he spotted Dawn. The female looked completely unprotected. Luxray smirked to himself. Gnawing on the female’s bones would be most satisfying.   
Luxray began to power up another Night Slash. When Lucas looked to where he was aiming, his heart sank. “Dawn,” he mumbled. “Dawn, get out of here!” He yelled, Luxray already racing past him.   
Dawn was completely frozen with fear; however, Chimchar wasn’t about to let her get hurt. He blocked the attack with Double Kick, though received a good deal of damage. “Chii,” he grumbled, standing up. The flame on his tail grew, and a red aura surrounded him. “Chimchar!” He screeched, spitting blobs of fire at Luxray.   
The fire left little burn marks on his fur, leaving him a little stunned. This little guy sure was powerful. “Chimchar! Use Leer then follow up with Double Kick!” Lucas quickly ordered.   
Chimchar glared at Luxray, making him shutter a bit, then the little chimp ran at the enemy. When he was at good distance, he jumped and began to rapidly kick his face. Luxray decided it would be best to leave these guys alone...however...revenge would be his later.   
“Dawn, are you alright?” Lucas asked, approaching the frightened girl.   
She blinked a few times then looked up at Lucas. “That was so cool,” she said, giggling.   
He couldn’t help but laugh. “You almost just got killed, and that’s all you have to say about it?” He asked.   
Dawn continued to giggle, nodding a ‘yes’. “Seriously though,” she said, instantly calming down. “The way you battled, that was amazing!” She praised, blushing when she realized how lame that must have sounded.   
Lucas blushed at her praise. “I’m not that good. I’m surprised Starly held up so well,” he said, the little bird now landing on his shoulder, chirping with pride. “Besides, in all honesty, I prefer contest battles,” he admitted, quickly wishing he hadn’t done so. Surly it would seem almost girly of him to admit his fondness for contests.   
“You like contests?” She asked in a surprised tone.   
“Yeah, pretty lame of me I guess,” he said, still blushing.   
“Oh, no!” Dawn said, shaking her head. “Not at all. I actually think it’s really awesome if a guy is willing to admit that he likes contests. Besides, every male contest competitor I’ve met so far has been really amazing,” she continued, surprising Lucas.   
Then it hit him. Berlitz. She was a Berlitz. When he really thought about it, her mother did seem familiar. “I think I remember hearing the last name Berlitz this morning. So you’re an heir to the Berlitz family?” He asked, receiving a disgruntled sigh from Dawn.   
She gave him a look that said she was angry, and her words showed that. “I really had hoped you didn’t hear that...yes, I’m a Berlitz. If I could, I’d change my last name,” she said, looking towards the lake.   
The way the moon reflected on the smooth surface put her mind at ease just ever so slightly. “Why do you say that?” Lucas asked, also facing the lake.   
As Dawn answered, she picked up Chimchar who had walked over to her seconds before. “There’s just a ton of pressure for me to compete in contests, when in actuality, and I’ve never told this to anyone else, I would much rather take on the gym challenges.” At this, Lucas noted a shine of determination held within her sapphire eyes. He also felt honored to be the first person she told about this, but he also wondered something: Surly she had told at least Barry of this.   
“Contests are nice and all, but whenever I think of appeals I would make, they’re just appeals that show off the strength of a Pokémon. I think contests are fun, but like I said, battling just seems to be more of a thrill for me...” she stopped, realizing that she had been talking for quite some time. She blushed nervously. “Sorry, I’ve been rambling on about nothing.”   
Lucas smiled. “You’re fine. It doesn’t bother me in the least. But there’s one thing I want to ask you, am I really the first person you have told about this? I figured you would have told–Barry am I right?” He said.   
Dawn nodded. After assuring him that he was the first person to know about this, they continued talking. They both realized, throughout their conversation, there wasn’t a single dull moment. Not a moment of pause, just constant back and forth with interest. Dawn couldn’t explain it, but it felt like she and Lucas had known each other for at least a few months, not a few moments.   
“Zu-Zu-Zubat!” A flock of Zubat called, gliding over the lake. One Zubat decided to detach from the group, and flew down near the humans. Using his echolocation he saw an image of the humans in his mind, and the female was taking interest in him.   
Dawn, thinking he would fly away, held out her hand to see if he would perch on her. To her surprise, he landed on her index finger using his tiny feet. Dawn giggled. “You’re so cute,” she commented, making Chimchar look up angrily. He tried to tell himself that at least she was still holding him, even though being held with one arm wasn’t particularly comfy.   
“You don’t strike me as the kind of girl who would like Zubat,” Lucas commented, watching the Zubat continue to ‘analyze’ Dawn.   
“I know, but I do. Go on now,” she replied, now trying to shoo Zubat away.   
He flapped his wings, and took a smooth glide up into the sky. Their paths would cross again. He was sure of it.   
“I should probably get going back,” Dawn said, feeling slightly disappointed. If only she wasn’t at risk of getting into trouble.   
“Want me to walk you back? I’d hate to see that Luxray come after you again,” Lucas said, trying to buy some more time with her. Truthfully, he absolutely hated to see her leave. After all, they were just getting off to a great start!   
Dawn gave him a shy smile. “That’d be nice,” she said.   
Before they left the lake, Lucas recalled all the Pokémon excluding Chimchar, who insisted on staying out.   
While Chimchar ran ahead, Dawn and Lucas stayed behind to continue talking. While walking, they both became so absorbed in their conversation; they weren’t looking where they were going, resulting in Dawn tripping. Lucas saw this coming and reached out to catch her. Catching her by her arms, he steadied her, and when she was obviously in no need of support, they just stood there staring at one another.   
“S-sorry,” Lucas said, being the first one to ‘snap out of it’.   
“Yeah,” Dawn nervously replied, looking away to smile to herself. She wouldn’t lie; she liked being that close to him. They resumed their walk in relative silence.   
Once they got to Dawn’s house, they said their goodbyes, but Chimchar wasn’t too inclined to leave. Jumping into Dawn’s arms, he tried to play the cute act once more. It worked, but knowing that he wasn’t hers, Dawn knew he had to go back with Lucas. “I’m sorry, Chimchar. I’m sure we’ll see each other some other time,” Dawn said, handing him to Lucas.   
“Definitely,” Lucas said, still looking at Dawn.   
Dawn nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I had fun,” she stated, giving Lucas a shy glance. “I hope I see you again.”   
Lucas smiled. “I look forward to it.”   
Once Lucas was well out of earshot, he looked down at the Chimchar still in his arms. “Say,” he said, an idea developing. “Wanna go organize some of the professor’s paperwork?” He asked.   
Chimchar didn’t quite understand what he meant until he added, “I know those trainer applications are completely out of order.” 

 

Early the next morning, Dawn awoke with a jolt to the sound of the fire alarm. She smiled. “Oh, mom, when will you learn?” She asked, rhetorically. Figuring that now was as good of a time as ever to get up, she quickly got herself ready for the day.   
When she went downstairs, she saw her mother looking very frustrated at the oven. “I swear, I can’t even open the darn thing without it setting off the fire alarm,” she grumbled, making Dawn laugh. When it came to cooking, her mother was excellent at it; her appliances just didn’t like to cooperate most of the time. “Oh, by the way, you have some mail,” she continued, motioning towards the table.   
Dawn walked over with a confused look. She wasn’t expecting anything. Sifting through the letters, the one addressed to her made her eyes light up. “No way!” She exclaimed, ripping the letter open. It was her application form to receive a starter Pokémon to begin her journey from Professor Rowan. She had sent it in only a week ago, but had completely forgotten about it, thinking it would take much longer to get processed.   
“Yeah, it came in last minute this morning. Any clue as to when we got a new mail Starly?” Her mother asked, crossing her arms.   
“Mail Starly? No clue,” she replied, continuing to read the letter.   
Dawn’s mother smiled. “I always knew this day would come. Have you decided which of the three you’ll pick?” She asked.   
Dawn nodded. “Chimchar.”   
“That’ll be a tougher contest appeal, but I think you’ll handle it no problem.” This was the sentence that Dawn dreaded the most.   
She just gave her an absentminded, “yeah” before looking at the clock. It was close to nine. “I probably should get going,” Dawn said.   
Her mother nodded. “Yeah, just make sure you come back before going anywhere else, okay?” She said.   
Dawn agreed, and with that, she headed out the door. By now, she was so excited at the prospect at seeing Chimchar, and possibly Lucas, that she was trembling slightly. Also outside was Barry. He was hurrying to put on his orange and white jacket while reading a letter. “Hey, Barry!” Dawn called, making the blonde boy look up.   
“Hey! You get your letter-thing back too?” He asked.   
“Yeah. Quick huh?” Dawn asked, both of them now headed in the same direction. Barry gave her a confused look. There was something...different about her. Sure, she was wearing her summer clothes for the first time in awhile, but that certainly wasn’t it. She was almost too...peppy. “What’s up with you?” He decided to ask.   
This confused Dawn. “What do you mean?” She asked.   
Barry rolled his eyes. “Oh, don’t give me that junk. I know you. You’re never this eager in the morning,” he said.   
“Sure I am. I’m a morning person for the most part,” Dawn replied.   
They went back and forth on the subject all the way to Sandgem Town. Wondering through the section of houses, the duo noticed a very large building ahead of them. Figuring that the building was their destination, they continued to walk.   
“You’re never gonna catch me!” The voice belonging to a young girl called. Running around the corner of a building she almost collided into Barry.   
“Gee, that looks familiar,” Dawn commented, looking at Barry with a grin.   
The young girl with Murkrow black hair looked up at Barry with apologetic eyes. “I’m so sorry!” She said, looking like she was going to cry.   
Barry smiled. “No harm done,” he told her.   
“Anna, when are you going to learn to be more careful? Running into people isn’t polite,” the winded voice of Lucas said, turning the corner that the girl had come from.   
Dawn’s eye lit up, and she continued grinning.   
“No, running into people isn’t, is it Lucas?” She asked.   
Looking up, Lucas couldn’t help but laugh at what she said. “Hey, Dawn, hey, Barry.” Lucas greeted, putting more emotion in Dawn’s name.   
When she heard the name Dawn, Anna looked up at her brother. “Is this the person you snuck out to see last night?” She innocently asked.   
“Anna, I never snuck out to see anyone. I was returning the starter Pokémon and then working on paperwork all last night ,” Lucas said.   
Anna gave him the look that said, “Do you think I’m stupid?”   
Lucas shook his head. “Go home already,” he said, shooing the younger girl away. She ran off, giggling.   
Barry gave him an odd look. “You’re just sending her off like that, huh?” He asked.   
Lucas shrugged. “Yeah, we live one house down. Besides, her Pichu and Chikorita are around here somewhere,” he answered.   
Dawn was beginning to get irritated. She was really looking forward to getting Chimchar. “Oh, whatever, come on! We need to go get our starters.”   
Barry looked at her. “Is this how you feel when I tend to rush through things? Because I’m feeling kind of angry,” he asked, watching as Dawn rolled her eyes.   
“Oh, haha, maybe I should just pull a Barry and run off completely ignoring everything else!”   
Lucas watched as they continued to argue back and forth. Once they hit a pause in their argument, he couldn’t help but intrude. “You two fight like an old married couple,” he commented, receiving a death glare from Dawn.   
“Oh, please. If I was married to him, I’d probably go insane,” she said.   
Now it was Barry’s turn to roll his eyes. “Gee, that makes me feel really good about myself, Dawn. Thanks.”   
Their arguing started up again, and Lucas decided that he had enough of it. “Well, if you would like, I’m heading to Professor Rowan’s, so if you would like to join me, the offer is out there,” he said, turning away a bit. He couldn’t help but be slightly surprised. Dawn certainly didn’t seem like the one to argue so easily.   
Dawn was took him up on his offer, and Barry was quick to follow. However, the two didn’t dare talk on the way there. After a couple of silent minutes, they arrived at the large building. Windmills lined the fields behind the building, and many Pokémon were roaming around the fields.   
Inside, the lab was lined with high shelves of books and papers, and some of the lab’s workers were busy working, completely oblivious to the teens’ presence. Everything from there went smoothly. Dawn chose Chimchar for her starter, and Barry chose Piplup, much to the Pokémon’s liking. This left Lucas with Turtwig.   
Dawn and Barry were both given a Pokédex for their journey, and they also received a couple of long lectures on the emotions of Pokémon and a few other topics. Once all of that was over, the trio stood outside of the lab, closer to town. “Well, I’ve got to go check in with my mother before I go anywhere else. What about you Barry?” Dawn asked, Chimchar in her arms.   
“Eh, my mom already knows I’m leaving, so I’ll probably just going to Jubilife City. I’ll probably see you later,” he said, heading off in the opposite direction.   
“Say, I was wondering,” Dawn said, now looking at Lucas. “Unless you have something better to be doing, which you probably do, I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me back to Twinleaf,” she offered, trying to keep herself from blushing.   
Lucas smiled. “I’d love to.”   
Dawn returned the smile, and they set off for their destination. While walking, Dawn felt like she should apologize for earlier. “Oh, and I’m sorry about earlier. Barry just has the tendency to work me into a complete rage,” she explained, looking at Chimchar who was happily watching the scenery go by.   
“It’s no problem. I understand,” Lucas said.   
Once again, they began to talk, and they still found that they were able to keep their conversation going easily. They lost all sense of time, making it to Twinleaf quickly.   
Dawn’s mother was in the front yard, tending to some flowers with Glameow speculating her work when she noticed Dawn and Lucas. She stood up, and watched as the two continued on with their conversation. She thought it was interesting how well they seemed to be getting along. “Welcome back, Dawn. Who is this?” She asked, looking at Lucas.   
“Oh,” Dawn said, realizing that they had reached her house. “This is Lucas, he’s one of Professor Rowans assistants. Though, I think we already established that yesterday,” she answered, looking from Lucas to her mother.   
“Good morning, Mrs. Berlitz,” Lucas said, doing his best to remain calm. Last time he saw her mother she was obviously very angry. Though this time it seemed that she at least knew where Dawn had been.   
Dawn’s mother smiled. She liked how polite he was being. “I suppose you’re planning to head off today?” She asked Dawn.   
Dawn nodded a yes. “Yeah, I do plan on leaving if that’s alright with you,” she said.   
“Like I told you earlier, I knew this day would come sooner or later, and besides, if you have a traveling companion, there certainly is no problem in it. Though, while you go pack, how about we have a talk?” Dawn’s mother said, her eyes landing on a nervous Lucas.   
Dawn smiled. “Alright! Come on Chimchar!” She said, hurrying inside.   
Her mother laughed. “Remember to pack light!” She reminded, then turned back to face Lucas. “Now, it’s not every day that I immediately trust anyone, much less a boy, to travel with my daughter. However, something tells me you’re not like most hormone driven boys. Though remember this: you do anything, anything at all in the slightest, I _will_ hunt you down. But like I said, something tells me I can trust you,” she explained.   
Lucas felt a small sense of pride. Traveling with the heir to the Berlitz legacy, and he was trusted instantly. There was something to be said about that. “Well, Mrs. Berlitz, I hope I can prove to you that I will be a very trustworthy traveling companion for Dawn” he replied with confidence.   
“So where are you both headed first?” Dawn’s mother asked. “We haven’t talked about it yet, but most likely we’ll see if we can catch up with Barry in Jubilife City. Depending on when we get there, we’ll probably head to Oreburgh City. I’ll be sure to ask Dawn what she wants to do though,” he answered.   
Liking the answer, she gave a solid nod. Like any mother, she always worried about her daughter, but something in her knew that Dawn would be safe with Lucas. After all, Dawn wasn’t one to trust males easily, and her trust in Lucas was enough for her.   
Dawn returned in a few minutes, and to her mother’s surprise, she actually packed light. “Well, I guess I’ll see you two later. Make sure you keep in touch!” Dawn’s mother said, as Dawn and Lucas began to leave.   
Once she was out of listening range, Dawn said something. “You know, I figured she wouldn’t let me travel with you,” she commented, letting Chimchar leap from her grasp. Just down the road, he swore he spotted a Starly. Battle time.   
“Well, I’m glad she did. Though I must say, your mother is very good with threats,” Lucas said jokingly.   
Dawn too laughed at that. She certainly was one to give a good threat.


	2. VS Barry

A Platinum Journey 

Chapter Two

VS Barry 

 

A cool breeze rustled the grass of the field Dawn and Lucas were currently battling in. The breeze sent a slight chill up Dawn’s spine, but she refused to get distracted. “Shii!” The little electric Pokémon known as Shinx mewed. A sound that resembled a xylophone followed the mew, courtesy of a Kricketot.   
“Turtwig, use Razor Leaf once more!” Lucas ordered.   
The leaf atop Turtwig’s head began to glow as he released numerous leaves from the leaf on his head. The leaves battered both Pokémon, Shinx deciding to bail in order to keep from fainting. Kricketot began to tremble. The little fire chimp and grass turtle were beginning to intimidate him greatly. In a split second, he decided to also leave, thinking it was a better option than being knocked out.   
Dawn sighed. “Well, we’ve been outside of Sandgem Town for about an hour, and we’ve run into about six Pokemon.” She grumbled, crossing her arms as Chimchar ran to her side.   
Lucas smiled. “We’ve seen more than that–mostly Bidoof, but still. At least we’re making good time,” He stated.   
Normally, this route would be crowded with Pokémon, but the change in seasons was causing the Pokémon to disperse.   
“You know,” Dawn began as they resumed walking down the path leading to Jubilife City. “I figured with it changing to spring, Pokémon would be swarming everywhere.” She said, with a slight questioning tone.   
Lucas nodded. “That’s what I would think, but according to Professor Rowan, the small gray area between seasons is when migration occurs, leaving some spots virtually empty of Pokémon for a period of time,” He explained.   
Dawn contemplated what he had said. It made sense, but still, she had been looking forward to catching some more Pokémon. However, none of the ones she had seen so far had made her want them. None of the Bidoof she had seen were interesting enough. Shinx were in consideration, but her fear of slight Luxray made her hesitant. She already knew that she didn’t want a Kricketot or a Starly.   
“I want a poison type,” Dawn decided, not intending it to be aloud.   
Lucas looked over at his traveling companion. “I’ve probably already asked this, but, why do you like poison types so much?” He asked, looking down real quick to make sure Turtwig was still at his side. The grass turtle looked up at him and smiled before running ahead with Chimchar.   
Dawn smiled. “Well, there are a few reasons I guess. The main one I guess is when I went to a double contest with my mom in Hoenn. This guy, I think his name was Austin, but he used a Seviper and Toxicroak for his appeal, then a Skuntank and a male Nidoran for the battle round. I just loved seeing the power of them, and I just kinda fell in love ever since,” She replied, continuing to smile at the memory.   
Lucas also smiled. “There are a few options to consider. Around here, Zubat, Budew, and possibly a Stunky migrating to Oreburgh,” He said, trying to think of any others.   
Dawn’s eyes lit up at the mentioning of Zubat and Stunky. They were certainly ones for consideration.   
While walking in relative silence, undisturbed by any wild Pokémon, the pair happened to come upon two Pokémon playing near a puddle of water. One was a purple skunk, the other a plump little beaver. “Bidoof!” The beaver cheered as the skunk splashed him with some water.   
“Stunk, Stunky!” She taunted, trying to get him to fight back.   
“I’d say now is your chance.” Lucas said, looking back over at Dawn.   
“Way ahead of you.” She said, with a look of determination. Looking down at her fire Pokémon, she nodded for him to go ahead.   
“Chim!” He challenged, making the skunk and beaver look up.  
A hiss came from the skunk as she stood in front of her friend. The beaver looked scared, but then decided to help Stunky. After all, that’s what friends were for, right? “Biidooo!” He called.   
“You think you can handle this by yourself?” Lucas asked.   
“I think so, but another Double Battle wouldn’t hurt.” She replied, watching as Lucas then released Starly.   
“Star!” The little bird chirped, flying over to Chimchar.   
The Pokémon seemed to be having a silent glaring match, before Dawn gave the starting order. “Chimchar, use Double Kick on Bidoof!” Chimchar quickly began to run at the beaver, only to be intercepted by a hefty Night Slash from Stunky. The purple skunk began to hiss a laugh.   
Chimchar rubbed his cheek where he had been hit, and whimpered a bit. “Bidoof!” The plump beaver called as he then rammed into Chimchar with a strong Tackle.   
“Starly, use Aerial Ace on Stunky!” Lucas ordered.   
Doing a quick loop in the air, Starly sped at the skunk. Being unable to avoid the attack, Stunky took it head on, but while being hit, she also released a thick Smokescreen.   
Starly and Chimchar escaped from the small cloud of smoke, but now they couldn’t see where Stunky and Bidoof were.   
“Starly, use Defog!” Lucas ordered. The little starling flew higher into the air, and began to flap her wings furiously. The small gust of air forced the Smokescreen to disperse. This confused Stunky and Bidoof, but nevertheless, they resumed the battle.   
Bidoof curled himself into a tight ball, then hurled himself at Starly. It left the little bird very weak, and hardly able to fly.   
Stunky took this opportunity to run at Chimchar with a standard Slash, but Dawn had already thought of a counter. “Show Stunky Double Kick when she gets close!” Dawn ordered.   
The chimp nodded, and waited for the right moment. When the skunk was within reach, he jumped up, kicking her glowing claw once, then kicking her face. The attack sent her into Bidoof, who was prepping another Rollout.   
Their collision knocked Stunky out, leaving Dawn with the opportunity to catch her. Quickly reaching in her bag, she grabbed the red and white sphere then tossed it at the purple skunk.   
The capsule shook three times, before giving a click, signaling that she had been captured. “Alright!” Dawn shouted. Lucas gave her an approving smile, but then looked over at the Bidoof.   
The poor beaver looked thoroughly confused. He sniffed at Stunky’s poké ball, and wondered if he should bite it in order to free her.   
Looking over at Lucas, Dawn made the split decision to attempt to capture Bidoof next. He seemed like a good enough Pokémon. He even knew moves that other Bidoof didn’t. “We need to weaken him just a little more. I want to catch him, too,” Dawn said, glancing back at Chimchar.   
Lucas nodded. “Alright. Starly, use Quick Attack!” He ordered.   
Quick as a flash, the starling sped at Bidoof, nearly knocking him out. Chimchar looked back for instruction, but noticed that Dawn had grabbed for another poké ball.  
Three shakes followed by a click signaled that Bidoof had been captured.   
Chimchar gave a small squeak of delight. “Great job,” Lucas commented, making the younger girl smile.   
“Thanks.” She beamed, gathering her two new team members.   
The two Pokémon looked up at the trainer from their translucent capsules. Bidoof smiled a goofy smile, while Stunky remained unsure. Being captured by a trainer was something she never expected to happen, but at the same time, she felt as if it were almost destiny that they met. She shook herself. The way fate worked was so strange sometimes.   
“I say we head straight for Jubilife so we can get them healed,” Lucas suggested, Dawn agreeing silently. She felt herself in a state of awe over her new Pokémon. Then it hit her, had Lucas wanted to catch either of them?   
“I guess I should thank you and Starly for helping. Though, I probably should have asked if you had wanted to catch either of them,” She said, avoiding his gray gaze.   
The boy smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. You said you wanted a poison type right? Stunky seems like a solid choice,” He told her.   
Dawn nodded, then looked back down at the Pokémon. Holding the capsules in one hand, she slid her backpack off, and placed the two in the pocket that would normally be used to hold a bottle. Figuring it would subdue until she could get a backpack that could better suit carrying poké balls, she smiled.   
“And trust me, if I had wanted a Bidoof, I would have caught one of the fifty we’ve already passed,” Lucas added, earning a giggle from Dawn. 

 

After a long walk, the duo finally arrived at the outskirts of Jubilife City.   
The dirt path slowly began to turn into pavement, and the sidewalks slowly began to get more crowded.   
“It’s been forever since I’ve been here,” Dawn commented, looking at the city’s skyline.   
“I was here almost a month ago. I’m pretty sure I remember where everything is,” Lucas said, taking a slight lead since he knew where the nearest Pokémon Center was.   
“That’s good. I haven’t been here since I was,” she paused to ponder how long it had been. “Maybe sixteen,” She concluded.   
Lucas looked back at her. “And you’re how old?” He asked in a laugh.   
Dawn faked an angry expression. “Don’t you know that you’re never supposed to as a lady her age?” She said, batting her eyes at him.   
He laughed. “Pardon me. I seem to have forgotten my gentlemen’s etiquette at home.”   
Dawn smiled at him. “Actually, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve been the perfect gentlemen,” She complimented, a blush arising on both of their cheeks. “But I’m seventeen and will be eighteen in a few months,” She finally answered.   
Lucas gave her a surprised look as she caught up to walk beside him. “Almost two years?” He asked, receiving a nod from her.   
“Yeah, and believe it or not, that was my first trip to Sandgem in over six months. I’m so sick of Twinleaf, I can barely see straight,” She added, feeling slightly embarrassed to be admitting this.   
“Wow. I would have gone crazy a long time ago,” He told her.   
Dawn sighed, looking around for a second for Chimchar. The little fire chimp was trailing at her heels, looking up at his trainer with big eyes. A few scratches from battles marked his forehead, but his spirits were held high. He had yet to faint, and he was only in need to being healed a few times. All in all, he felt quite proud of himself.   
“I went crazy a long time ago,” she said, putting stress on ‘long’. Lucas chuckled a bit. Looking away from Dawn, he noticed the Pokémon Center ahead of them.   
When the two arrived at the center, a pink, egg-shaped Pokémon greeted them. “Chansey!” It called from behind the nurse’s desk.   
The pink-haired nurse turned around from facing the computer to greet her visitors. “Welcome,” She greeted.   
Dawn and Lucas gave their Pokémon to Nurse Joy, and decided to kill some time by walking around this section of the city.   
While walking, they passed by one of the dress boutiques, catching Dawn’s attention. Two dresses on display seemed to hold her attention the most. One was a simple gray, strapless dress, with gray rose designs that gave it layers.   
The other dress was mostly white, but the upper torso was black with floral designs, and black gems that patterned the dress.   
Dawn smiled. “I wonder how I would look in those,” She thought aloud.   
Lucas looked at the dresses, back at Dawn, then back at the dresses. “I bet you’d look nice in them,” He commented without thinking.   
The comment made Dawn blush. “Nah. I never really look good in a dress,” She replied, nervously.   
Lucas shook his head and laughed a bit. Such a typical girl response. It made him wonder why girls never seemed to take a compliment. “I don’t believe that for a second,” He told her, making her blush even more.   
“Well, you’ve never seen me in a dress, so you can’t say anything,” Dawn replied. Shaking his head, Lucas admitted a silent defeat. He knew that some day he’d prove her wrong.   
The rest of their walk was mostly silent, both of the trainers too lost in their own thoughts to say much. The conversation they did make was light, and short.   
When they returned to the Pokémon Center, Dawn noticed a familiar blonde boy standing at the Nurse’s desk. “Thank you for waiting. Your Pokémon are all healed,” The nurse said in a calm tone.   
“Thank you, Nurse Joy,” the boy replied, taking three red and white capsules from the desk. Not saying another word, he turned around, taking a few seconds to realize who was in front of him. “Hey, Dawn! Lucas,” He greeted, almost forgetting to mention Lucas.   
Dawn smiled at her friend, who was now reaching for something in his orange backpack. “While I remember, I got you something!” He told her, pulling out a small, but lengthy white box from his backpack.   
Just when he was about to hand it to her, he quickly snatched it back, getting an idea. “Actually, I’m not going to give it to you,” He told her, grinning at her confused look.   
“Unless,” he said, cutting her off from speaking.   
“Unless what?” Dawn dared to ask, fearing her would challenge her to something stupid.   
“You battle me.” He concluded.   
Dawn’s confusion only grew. So far, she had only battled wild Pokémon. “Uh…sure?” She agreed.   
Barry immediately knew what this meant. “Wait, you haven’t had a trainer battle yet?” He asked, glancing at Lucas, then back at Dawn. He was positive that they had at least battled one another.   
When Dawn shook her head, Barry sighed. “You two haven’t even battled?” He asked.   
“No,” Dawn simply answered. The thought of battling Lucas never really occurred to her.   
Barry’s eyes widened. “Then I call your first trainer battle!” He yelled, grabbing the girl by her arm, and dragging her out the door.   
Lucas blinked a few times, confused, before laughing to himself as he walked over to the counter. His and Dawn’s Pokémon were completely healed, so he took all five of them, and began to take his leave.   
He figured that he’d run into them, considering he had Dawn’s Pokémon. Once outside, he looked around, to see a grumbling Dawn heading back towards him. She was mumbling something about Barry being an idiot when she bumped into Lucas. Her eyes immediately shot up, an embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks.   
“Sorry,” She apologized with a slight laugh.   
Lucas smiled at her. “I figured you’d need these.” He said, handing her Pokémon to her. She nervously laughed at she took the capsules from his hand.   
“Thanks,” she said before turning around to face an impatient Barry.   
“Hurry up!” He called, making Dawn sigh angrily.   
“I don’t even think I’m ready for a trainer battle!” Dawn said, referring to the fact that she hadn’t even battled with Stunky or Bidoof yet. For all she knew, they wouldn’t even listen to her.   
“Well, let’s find out,” Barry replied enthusiastically, wondering why she was so reluctant to battle him.   
Figuring that Barry would argue with her endlessly, Dawn gave in and began to walk with Lucas over to him. “Give me your Pokédex,” Lucas said to her.   
Pulling her backpack off her shoulders, Dawn began to sift through a few items. Below a few Potions she found the pink device. “Now, either Stunky or Bidoof’s poké ball,” He said once she handed him her Pokédex.   
Once she gave him Stunky he began to explain what he was doing. “I’m sure your wondering about their moves, and level. Well, if you let your Pokédex scan your Pokémon while it’s in it ball, it’ll tell you all the moves it knows, its ability, level, and stuff like that,” He quickly explained, showing her which buttons to hit.   
The Pokédex showed a picture of a Stunky, and began to list off all of her information. Dawn’s Stunky was currently at level fourteen, had the ability Aftermath, and knew the moves Slash, Night Slash, Smokescreen, Fury Swipes, and Screech.   
“Interesting.” Lucas commented, reviewing the moves.   
“What?” Dawn asked, looking at him.   
“Well, Stunky shouldn’t know Slash or Night Slash yet. Night Slash doesn’t even come in until she’s ready to evolve,” He told her, them both now looking at the purple skunk’s poké ball. “She’s also pretty high level considering the route we found her on.” He added.  
“C’mon! Let’s head to the battle pThey just built it on the west side of the city,” Barry said once the two had finally caught up to him. Realizing that they were too preoccupied with their conversation, he decided to just take the lead, while figuring out which a strategy for their battle.   
“So, just these three buttons?” Dawn said once she had switched Stunky out with Bidoof.   
“Exactly.” Lucas said.   
Bidoof was at level thirteen, had the ability Simple, and knew Tackle, Defense Curl, Growl, Grass Knot, and Rollout.   
Looking up from the Pokédex and poké ball in her hand, Dawn proceeded to ask Barry a question. “How many Pokémon do you have with you?” She asked.   
“Two right now.” He answered, glancing back really quick.   
The rest of the walk was in silence, both trainers contemplating over their upcoming battle. Dawn was thinking of which two Pokémon would be best to use, and which strategies would work best.   
Barry, however, was thinking of a brute force tactic, and what way would be the best to show off his training.   
The battle park was nothing more than a few open fields right next to each other, some paths leading to stretches of smooth dirt, and a community bulletin board in the middle of it all.   
The field on the far left was vacant, so once the trio got there, Dawn and Barry walked to opposite ends of the field, leaving Lucas to sit on the bench beside the field.   
Being the more impatient of the two, Barry was the first to send out a Pokémon. “I’ll start off with Starly!” He said, tossing a poké ball into the air, releasing the gray starling from its capsule.   
His Starly did a quick spin mid-air before returning to the ground, twitching its head as it examined Dawn.   
“I’ll start with Chimchar,” Dawn decided, releasing the fire chimp. He pranced around, happily ignoring Starly. When he sensed Dawn’s tension, he instantly calmed. Ahead of him, he slightly recognized the boy commanding the Starly, but he was confused as to why he was going to battle his Pokémon. He was positive that he was only battling the wild Pokémon to protect Dawn, and to help capture more friends.   
“Quick Attack!” Barry ordered. Starly flew up into the air, then sped at an unsuspecting Chimchar. Shaking a few strands of fur from his beak, Starly waited for another order.   
Chimchar rubbed the small mark on his chest, then clenched his tiny fist and shouted something at Starly. “Start off with Leer,” Dawn ordered.   
Narrowing his grey eyes, Chimchar glared at the bird, making it shudder a bit. “Starly, use Sand-Attack!” Barry ordered, hoping this move would buy him some time.   
Starly began to flap his wings vigorously, sending a wave of dust into the air. It was just enough to block Starly from Chimchar’s view. “Now use Wing Attack!”   
The quick onslaught of moves didn’t give Chimchar any reaction time, so the attack completely knocked the wind out of him. “Chaa,” he grumbled, rubbing his chest with his paw.   
“Wing Attack again!” At this order, Dawn realized his strategy: he didn’t have one.   
“Hold your ground,” Dawn cautiously ordered, waiting for the right moment. Just when the bird was descending into the dust cloud, she gave the order. “Double Kick!” Chimchar jumped up, kicking the bird in the face twice.   
Shaking his head, Starly began to feel the effects of Double Kick, resulting in a throbbing pain in his head. “Shake it off and use Quick Attack,” Barry countered.   
“Ember!” Dawn called.   
Chimchar drew in a deep breath, the gasses in his belly igniting when they arose to his mouth. He then spat blobs of fire at the bird as he rammed into him. Both Pokémon sustained injury, the pungent smell of burning feathers filling the air.   
Barry ordered for another Quick Attack, while deciding if he should switch Pokémon or not. Piplup was at full health, but if he did switch, he risked Dawn also switching.   
Chimchar took the attack head on, resulting in more fur being ripped from his head. He screeched in annoyance, looking back at Dawn for an order. “Use Leer,” Dawn decided. For now, she was biding her time. Chimchar still seemed to have decent health, while Starly seemed to be struggling to stay in the air.   
This Leer now gave Starly a two-stage drop in his defense, leaving him wide open for a quick knockout. “Sand-Attack!” Barry ordered.   
Flapping his burnt wings, Starly sent another wave of dirt at Chimchar. His orange fur grew dull with the layer of dirt, and he began to furiously rub his eyes and cough.   
When Barry ordered for a Wing Attack, Dawn tried to counter with Double Kick, but due to his lowered accuracy, Chimchar missed.   
The Wing Attack left Chimchar very weak, but now, a red aura seemed to surround him. His flame tail grew twice its normal size, and he felt a newfound sense of strength. Dawn recognized this as his Blaze ability.   
Chimchar grinned. This battle was his; he was sure of it.   
“Use Ember!” Dawn ordered, taking advantage of his ability. Chimchar spat strong orbs of fire at the bird, knocking him out instantly.   
Barry gave a disappointed look as he recalled his Starly. When he looked back to the battlefield, he had to remind himself that Piplup would handle this easily. “Piplup, go!” He said, releasing the tiny penguin.   
“Quick, use Double Kick before he can do anything!” Dawn said, knowing that Chimchar’s time was limited.   
Barry smirked. “Use Agility to get away, then follow up with Bubble!” He called. Piplup gave a curt nod, a bright light encasing him as he dashed out of the way from Chimchar’s attack.   
Once behind the fire Pokémon, Piplup’s beak began to glow white, bubbles rushing from there when he exhaled.   
The bubbled soaked Chimchar’s fur, and doused his flame tail. After teetering back and forth on his feet, he finally fell forward, out for the count.   
Dawn gasped before recalling him to his Poke Ball. “You did great,” She whispered. Now the decision. Stunky, or Bidoof. Bidoof did know Grass Knot, but something made her want to use the poison Pokémon.   
“Let’s go, Stunky!” She decided, releasing her new Pokémon.   
Stunky looked around. Momentarily, she was confused, wondering where she was. Then it hit her: she had been captured. It made her feel weak, so now she felt she had to make up for that loss in pride. If anything, she would show this trainer that catching her was just a fluke.   
“Stun!” She hissed, assessing her opponent.   
Lucas smiled at her choice. He figured that she would go with Stunky, even if she didn’t have an advantage.   
“Piplup, let’s start off with another Bubble!” Barry ordered, figuring that her Stunky was low in level.   
The choice in move gave Dawn an idea. “Use Screech!”   
Stunky separated her front paws a bit, then let out a high-pitched hiss. The sound waves were at just the right pitch to pop the bubbles that Piplup built.   
Piplup let out a disgruntled chirp as he placed his flippers on his head. The pitch gave him a very bad headache, and it even lowered his defenses by two stages.   
“Now use Slash!” Dawn decided. Stunky ran at Piplup, her front claws glowing with power.   
“Agility!” Barry countered.   
Piplup just narrowly avoided the attack, but it still nicked him, leaving a small cut on his belly. Placing his flipper on the wound, he was relieved to see no blood. “Try Bubble again.”   
Piplup obeyed, but once again, Dawn had already figured a counter. “Use Fury Swipes to pop those bubbles!”   
Stunky stood on her hind legs, slashing at the bubbles. A fine mist covered her fur, but no damaged was received. Once the bubbles were gone, she got in one hit at Piplup.   
“Peck!” Barry ordered. Lunging forward, Piplup pecked Stunky a few times, but it did minimal damage.   
Finally having complete confidence in herself and her Pokémon, Dawn gave her final order. “Night Slash!”   
Dark energy cloaked Stunky’s claws, and in one hit, Piplup was out. A small gash on his belly began to bleed, but only slightly. Stunky’s claws had yet to develop the sharpness needed for completely ripping things apart.   
Dawn cringed. She hadn’t realized that Pokémon battles could be so brutal. But, somehow, the thought of it all excited her. There was no way she could only compete in contests now.   
“Alright, Stunky!” Dawn cheered, running over to her Pokémon, and scooping her up in her arms. “You did so great! I’m so proud of you!” She cooed.   
Stunky felt herself swishing her tail at the praise, and a purr even arose in her throat. Maybe this human wasn’t so bad at all, and maybe, just maybe, it was a fated fluke that she caught her. “Stehehehe.” She giggled, ending with a loud purr.   
Once Barry had recalled Piplup, and praised him for his work, he walked over to Dawn, the white box in his hands.   
“I told you you’d do just fine,” Lucas commented after walking over to Dawn.   
“Well, a deal is a deal, here you go,” Barry said, giving her the box this time.   
Dawn sat Stunky on the ground, and upon opening the box, her eyes lit up. “Barry, you shouldn’t have,” She commented, pulling the pink watch from its case.   
He nervously laughed, placing his hand on the back of his neck. “Well, I kinda needed to make up for getting you in trouble yesterday. Plus, I remember you mentioning something about wanting the new Pokétch,” He said.   
After managing to get it on, Dawn then hugged and thanked Barry.   
Lucas couldn’t help but to look away, feeling slightly out of place.   
When Dawn pulled away from the hug, a small noise filled the air, and she began to blush. Placing her hands on her stomach, she began to nervously laugh. “I just realized that I haven’t eaten all day,” She said, looking between the two boys.   
Lucas was the first to speak. “I guess we should fix that then. Care to join us, Barry?” Lucas offered. Even though he didn’t know Barry, he knew that as Dawn’s friend, she would still probably want to see him.   
“Nah. I’ve already eaten, and besides, if I get a head start now, I should make it to Oreburgh City with just enough time to challenge the gym. I don’t think there are going to be any contests there though,” He said, looking in Dawn’s direction.   
Dawn shrugged. “I’m not challenging contests, so hopefully we’ll be right behind you,” She told him.   
Barry gave her a confused look, which quickly turned into a smirk. “You’re mom isn’t going to like that,” He stated, crossing his arms.   
She smiled. “Yeah, I know. She’ll get over it though.”   
After a bit more talking, Dawn and Lucas began to make their way back towards the city, but Barry felt the need to give Dawn a little grief. “Just be careful, Lucas! She eats like a Grumpig!” He yelled, laughing.   
Dawn’s face heated up with anger, but she wasn’t about to give Barry the satisfaction of an argument. “I do not,” She grumbled, looking at Stunky, who was being held in her arms.   
Lucas only laughed. He already could tell that this was going to be an interesting trip.


	3. Selene's Grace: What added effect will it be?

A Platinum Journey 

Chapter Three

Selene’s Grace: What added effect will it be? 

 

Arriving in the dead of night to Oreburgh, Dawn and Lucas were quick to find the nearest Pokémon Center.   
According to the center’s nurse, there was only one room available for use. Being so tired, the two trainers didn’t even see that as a problem. The nurse then informed them that there was only one bed in the room.   
Lucas suggested that Dawn sleep in the bed while he could sleep on the floor. Normally, Dawn would have found this to be unfair to him, but being so tired, arguing was out of the question.   
The two trainers quickly changed into sleeping attire, and quickly fell asleep.   
However, this Pokémon Center happened to be located near one of the construction zones.   
Around seven in the morning, loud sirens began to echo throughout the city, signaling that the workday had begun.   
Excavation was a major part of the city’s economy. Most of the prized items were things like gems and rare stones, but the main item was what the city was named after: iron ore.   
It wasn’t an easy job, considering one would have to work from dawn to dusk, but it also wasn’t easy on the city’s residents. Especially when every day the sirens would go off at the same time.   
“Why?” Dawn angrily grumbled as she covered her head with the white pillow.   
“I guess it’s just another reason to get out of Oreburgh as soon as possible.” Lucas half-heartedly replied, sitting up to stretch his arms.   
“You can say that again,” Dawn agreed, her tone still muffled from the pillow. When she finally removed the pillow and sat up, Lucas could only smile at her.   
Her hair was a frizzy mess, and she had an overall look of sleep deprivation.   
Looking down at the boy on the floor, Dawn’s expression remained blank. “Go ahead and laugh. I can tell you want to,” She said.   
Lucas chuckled. “You look tired.” He commented. Dawn gave him a shy smile.   
“Thank you for your observation, Captain Obvious.”   
“Well, you can try to get some more sleep since I’m going to take a shower.” Lucas offered, standing up to gather his things, completely oblivious to Dawn’s blushing.   
This was Dawn’s first time staying in the same room with a guy who didn’t sleep with a shirt on. At first, she was a blushing, babbling mess. Luckily, she was just able to blame it on her weariness from the day’s travel. Now, she found herself still blushing, but at least able to form sentences.   
Once Lucas had entered the bathroom, and turned on the shower, Dawn began to giggle. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking one simple thought: _“he didn’t look too bad without a shirt on.”_  
Leaning over the side of the bed, she grabbed her backpack and pulled out her three Pokémon’s Poke Balls. All of them were still snoozing away inside, but Stunky was beginning to wake up.   
“Sorry you won’t be battling today,” Dawn apologized after releasing the purple skunk. Stunky yawned, looking up at her trainer, trying to comprehend what she had said.   
For Stunky, battling wasn’t high on her list of ‘to do’, so this wasn’t a problem. More of a lazy day, if you will. With a yawn, she began to smile and wag her tail.   
“Still, I’m glad to have you on my team,” Dawn said, petting Stunky’s head. Stunky purred in response, and felt herself involuntarily twitching when Dawn scratched a spot behind her ear.   
Dawn giggled at the poison Pokémon. “I’ve got a good feeling about today, Stunky. I don’t know why, but I do,” She told her.   
Stunky nodded in agreement. She could feel it too.   
After both of the trainers’ showers were out of the way, along with breakfast, they checked out of the Pokémon Center, and began to make their way towards the Oreburgh City Gym.   
During their walk, Lucas couldn’t help but notice that Dawn seemed a tad shaky. “Nervous?” He asked.   
She timidly nodded. “Yeah, just a little. I guess it’s mostly because I’m scared my mom will freak out,” She explained, leaving out how much her mother tends to overreact.   
Lucas gave her a sympathetic look. “If you really think that your mother will be that angry, then don’t do it. It’s your choice. I’ll support you no matter what,” He promised.   
As simple as they were, his word of encouragement gave Dawn enough of a push to continue pursuing her goal of competing in the Pokémon League.   
Off in the distance, a small gray and blue dinosaur Pokémon was running towards the two, a small piece of equipment in his mouth.   
Though his legs were short, they were carrying him at a rather fast pace.   
“Roark, your damn Cranidos stole some equipment again!” One of the mine’s workers shouted, catching the attention of the teens.   
Cranidos began to chuckle to himself. All he was doing was trying to have some fun since he had so much pent up energy. The gym had been vacant lately, and it was leaving him with far too much energy for his own good.   
Spotting the two ahead of him, he focused his red eyes on the female, and slowed when he finally reached them. “Crr,” he grumbled, the metal blocking most of his voice.   
Dawn gave a confused look to the Pokémon below her as he tried to get her to take the metal from his mouth. His stubby tail began to wag like a Poochyena when she bent down to his level.   
“I’ve never seen a Pokémon like you before,” She commented, trying to recall all of the past contests she had been to.   
“That’s probably because he’s only able to be obtained through mining fossils,” Someone answered, their tone indicating that they were a young adult.   
Looking up, Dawn’s blue eyes were met by the cordovan brown ones of a male. When she stood up, she could see a strange level of interest in his eyes.   
“I beg your pardon for Cranidos’s behavior. He’s been itching for a battle, and has yet to find one, so stealing things is apparently the next alternative,” He said in a mild joking tone.   
A small laugh passed Dawn’s lips, and Lucas couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of jealousy.   
Taking an educated guess, the male could tell that she wasn’t from around here, so obviously she wouldn’t know who he was. “I’m Roark, the city’s Gym Leader,” He introduced, taking a small delight in the obvious anger coming from the male beside her.   
“I’m Dawn,” She quickly followed.   
Roark smiled. “Pretty name for a pretty girl,” He commented.   
Dawn immediately blushed, and grew nervous. She was never one to deal with guys flirting with her easily. “T-thanks,” She said, trying to avoid eye contact.   
“So, what brings you here to Oreburgh?” He asked, now using a more causal tone.   
Before answering him, Dawn grabbed Lucas’s hand, causing them both to blush. “I’m dragging my boyfriend with me to challenge the gym, since we both just started our journey,” She said, putting slight emphasis on ‘boyfriend’.   
As soon as she said ‘boyfriend’ Lucas looked at her. He knew that she was just uncomfortable about having this guy flirt with her, but her dragging him into this was the last thing he expected her to do.   
Roark nodded, seeming to ignore the ‘boyfriend’ part of her explanation. “Well, you’re in luck actually. After we return this part to the mineworkers, we’ll go open the gym. See you in a little bit,” He said, taking a rather quick leave.   
Cranidos looked up at his trainer and back at the two as they walked away. He sighed and shook his head. His master was such a strange human sometimes.   
Dawn and Lucas waited a few seconds before letting go of one another’s hand. “Sorry about that. He was just…making me uncomfortable,” Dawn apologized, blushing a tad.   
Lucas gave her a shy smile. “It’s alright. I understand,” He said.   
Dawn also smiled, then grabbed Lucas’s hand again and began to drag him with her. “Come on, _boyfriend_!” She said in an obvious joking tone.   
He could only laugh in response.   
They continued to make little jokes about the situation all the way to the gym. For Dawn, it was almost a way to keep her nerves from getting out of control. She knew that she was going to be terribly nervous facing a gym leader. Though, she remembered that her mother used to tell her that she would calm herself by telling jokes with some of her friends before a contest.   
Dawn figured it would help her in the same sense.   
The gym was located near one of the mine’s entrances, so the noise of machinery filled the air, along with the smell of burning fuels. Neither of the trainers thought it was an ideal location for a Pokémon Gym, but who were they to judge?   
The gym on the inside seemed more like a museum, cases of fossils and what looked to be samples of different minerals filled the cabinets that lined the walls.   
Some of the signs on the wall pointed towards a pair of doors at the back of the room, saying ‘battlefield’.   
Roark greeted the pair as they walked into the main gym, and began to explain his gym’s rules. “Simple rules, really. Your friend will wait on the side, and we will battle with three Pokémon each. You’re allowed substitutions, but I must stay with the same Pokémon till it faints. Okay?” He explained.   
Dawn nodded, voiced her approval, and then quickly turned to Lucas before he could walk away. “May I use Turtwig?” She quickly asked.   
He gave her a confused look, but reached into his backpack for the grass turtle’s poké ball. “Sure, but why? You’ve got Stunky,” He said.   
“Yeah, but Chimchar is already weak to his Pokémon, and if any of them know ground moves, Stunky is as good as fainted,” She said, smiling shyly when he gave her his Pokémon.   
Lucas told her good luck, and then began to walk towards the few rows of blue bleachers that lined the rocky battlefield.   
Roark smirked. “I’ll start off with Nosepass!” He said, tossing a poké ball into the air.   
The bright light released a rather small, but bulky Pokémon. His eyes were shut, and his bright red nose faced north, towards Dawn.   
Now Dawn had a decision that needed to be made quickly. She knew that Turtwig would be good, but she knew that she would most likely want to save him for Cranidos.   
“Go, Chimchar!” She decided, releasing the fire chimp from his capsule. He bounced around on his feet, eager to battle. His gray eyes glowed with determination, and he then looked back at Dawn for instructions.   
The gym leader chuckled to himself. “I’ll be a gentlemen, and let you start off,” He offered.   
It did seem like the gentlemen’s thing to do, but it actuality it was his way of discovering her battle strategy. Once he had that figured out, he could come up with a way to counter it, and use it against her. After that, she was as good as finished. That way she would have no other choice but to come back for another challenge.   
“Okay, lets start off with Leer!” Dawn ordered.   
Knowing that rock-types tended to have high defenses, she figured it was best to try to knock that barrier out as soon as possible.  
Chimchar did as instructed, but it seemed like it did nothing to the rock Pokémon.   
“Nosepass, use Rock Throw,” Roark calmly ordered. Nosepass lifted his arms, and turned to grab one of the small boulders beside him. He jerked it out of the ground with ease, and then chucked it at Chimchar.   
Chimchar screeched in terror as he began to try to avoid the oncoming rocks. The rocks that missed, either fell short of hitting the wall, or actually crashed into the metal walls, leaving small indents.   
Wincing, Dawn scrambled to think of what to do. “Use Double Kick!” She hurried.   
Chimchar nodded, then ran on all fours towards his foe.   
However, Roark had already thought of a counter. “When he gets in range, use Ancientpower!” He ordered.   
Nosepass gave a small grunt, and when he felt where Chimchar was, a ball of bright energy formed at the tip of his nose. Firing the attack, Chimchar didn’t even have time to blink.   
Ancientpower sent Chimchar flying, the rocks he landed on leaving small gashes. He stood up, not wanting to give up so easily. “Chim-Chimchar!” He called, challenging Nosepass.   
“Ancientpower again!” Roark called, figuring it would seal his battle with the fire chimp.   
While he built up the attack, Dawn thought of a counter. If he could deflect her move, she could just as easily do the same. “Send it back at him with Double Kick!” She countered.   
When the ball of light neared, Chimchar leaped up in the air, and gave the rock move a good kick. It hurt his foot a bit, but it seemed to hurt Nosepass more.   
His own move added a few scratches to the rock Pokémon’s rough body, but he simply didn’t care.   
Roark smiled, impressed that she at least figured to turn it against him. Though, copying his strategy wasn’t going to win this battle. “Earth Power,” He calmly ordered.   
Tilting to one side, Nosepass then slammed himself on the ground, and a bright light seemed to make a small fissure in the ground. The attack then streamed towards Chimchar, who was too terrified to move.   
The ground move sent him flying into a larger boulder, and it put Dawn in a bind. She knew Chimchar was probably too weak to handle much more. “Chimchar, switch out with Turtwig!” She ordered, releasing the grass Pokémon onto the field.   
Running from the field, Chimchar took his spot next to Dawn, heavy breaths escaping his mouth.   
Turtwig looked around, confused. He had expected to hear Lucas’s voice, not Dawn’s. He didn’t know whether to listen to her or not. Sure, she was a friend, but she wasn’t his trainer.   
His eyes landed on Lucas, then he looked back at Dawn. To listen, or not to listen, that was the question. “Twee,” he muttered, shuffling his legs uncomfortably.   
Seeing the grass Pokémon didn’t faze Roark in the least. Like every good gym leader, he had a perfect comeback for any disadvantage he may be in.   
“Turtwig, use Razor Leaf!” Dawn ordered. Turtwig blinked his eyes, and began to shutter with confusion. Instead of doing what he was ordered, he charged forward towards the rock Pokémon, using Tackle.   
Dawn winced when the attack seemed to hurt him more so than Nosepass. “Turtwig, you’re going to have to listen to me for now! If you don’t, we’ll surly lose!” She encouraged.   
Lucas sighed. He was afraid this would happen. Had he known that Dawn would need his Pokémon, he would have prepped Turtwig earlier.   
“Let’s start off with Thunder Wave,” Roark ordered, trying not to laugh at the situation. This was almost too easy.   
Thinking quick, Dawn ordered for a counter. “Withdraw!”   
Deciding that Dawn was right, Turtwig quickly withdrew into his shell. The small ball of electricity danced around his shell, but being made of soil, it did nothing. He then popped out, unfazed. “Twig!” He called, his tone full of pride.   
“Now, back away and use Seed Bomb!”   
Doing as she said, Turtwig walked backwards until he decided that he had adequate room to launch his attack. He opened his mouth, and a small ‘seed’ of energy appeared at the back of his throat. Turtwig then seemed to spit it at Nosepass.   
Roark knew that he couldn’t dodge, so now was the time for his counter.   
Seed Bomb did a good deal of damage to Nosepass, but he was still standing strong. “Seal this battle with Ice Punch!” Roark ordered.   
Detaching his left arm, it became coated in ice, and sped towards the unsuspecting Turtwig.   
Once Ice Punch made contact with Turtwig, a burning sensation took over, only to be doubled when he was slammed into a boulder, crushing it.   
He gave a feeble cry as he tried to stand.   
When Nosepass’s arm reattached itself, Dawn realized something. Nosepass had yet to move from his spot, and he only faced a different direction once, and even then, it was for a split second. He did ever so slightly remind her of a compass, so it gave her an idea. “Turtwig, get behind him and then use Razor Leaf!” She ordered.   
The command confused Turtwig, but nevertheless, he obeyed.   
Roark winced. Normally it took his challengers a lot longer till they realized that Nosepass always had to face north.   
Now Roark had nothing to do. Nosepass was out like a light after a few Razor Leafs and Seed Bombs. He knew that he could have ordered for his Pokémon to use Earth Power, but that move was useless as far as he was concerned.   
“Onix, you’re up!” Roark called after returning Nosepass to his capsule. A large rock snake took the field, and gave a thunderous call.   
Turtwig’s eyes grew wide, and he began to tremble. Just the sight of the creature was terrifying enough as it was.   
“Start off with Stealth Rock!” Roark yelled.   
Onix’s gray tail began to glow in a bright light, and when he slammed it on the ground, not only did it create a large tremor, rocks began to float a few feet into the air.   
Turtwig had braced himself for the worst, but when he felt nothing, he was even more confused.   
“Try Razor Leaf!” Dawn ordered, nervousness laced in her tone.   
“Defense Curl!” Roark countered. The large rock snake curled into a tight ball, using his body to protect his head. The leafs didn’t even seem to scratch him. “Now use Screech!” Roark continued.   
Lifting his head from the curl, Onix then let out another harsh call, but this one was of a higher pitch.   
Turtwig attempted to cover the spot where his ears would be, but to no avail. Dawn too winced at the volume of his cry. “Seed Bomb!” She frantically ordered.   
As before, Turtwig launched the attack, but it was blocked with another Defense Curl.   
Dawn began to question if she would actually win this battle. Onix didn’t seem to have any obvious weaknesses…  
“Use Rock Throw, but use Turtwig as your rock.” Roark ordered, smirking.   
Onix snatched Turtwig with his tail, and with a quick toss, he landed against the wall, unable to battle.   
Dawn rushed to check on him, and grasped when she saw that blood was starting to drip from his jaw.   
“I’m…so sorry, Turtwig.” She apologized, returning him to his poké ball. When she stood up, she looked down at Chimchar, who was wide-eyed. Her expression showed anger, and this transferred to Chimchar.   
He gave a grumpy grunt as she nodded for him to return to the field.   
The rocks that were floating around the field began to glow with a brighter light, and then all at once flew at Chimchar. He squeaked at the rocks hit him, and now fought to retain consciousness.   
“Use Bind!” Roark called.   
Grabbing the chimp with his tail, Onix then brought him up to his face, and began to squeeze.   
Chimchar screeched in pain, though, had he been held in a different spot, he probably would have been completely crushed.   
Seeing Chimchar in pain hurt Dawn equally, only on a mental level, but his position did give her an idea. Sure, Onix was mostly rock, but his eyes weren’t.   
“Use Ember on his eyes!”   
Chimchar spat small blobs of fire at the directed point, resulting in a painful wail from the rock Pokémon, and him being dropped.   
Chimchar landed on his feet, and then nimbly began to rush away from his foe.   
Onix shook his head, and when he opened his eyes, he quickly closed them, and began to thrash around in pain.   
Roark panicked. “Onix, calm down! You don’t need your eyes!” He yelled, but the beast wouldn’t listen.   
Dawn knew that she had to take advantage of this. “Now use Double Kick!” She ordered.   
Chimchar jumped for the large Pokémon, only succeeding in kicking one of his larger rock sections.   
Onix then smacked Chimchar away into one of the floating rocks.   
It appeared that Chimchar was out for the count, but Dawn gave a sigh of relief when he began to stand. Though, there was something different about him now. His aura wasn’t glowing red like it would when his Blaze ability activated, he began to glow in a bright light!   
“Chim,” He muttered in a low tone.   
The light encased his whole body, and even his form began to shift. He was now taller, had a blue ‘mask’ around his eyes, and instead of just a flame, he had an actual tail.   
“Monferno!” He howled, punching his large fists around.   
Dawn couldn’t believe her eyes. Chimchar had just evolved. It was almost a little too weird for her. She grabbed her Pokédex and was quick to see if he had learned any new moves. He did.   
A smile presented itself on Dawn’s face. This battle would be hers, she was sure of it.   
“Monferno, use Mach Punch, but make sure to hit his head!” She directed. She had noticed that Onix always seemed to be trying to protect his head, so she figured that it was probably his weak point.   
Monferno nodded, and began to run at Onix with glowing fists. He climbed the Pokémon’s long body, then smacked him hard in the jaw.   
The move forced Onix to the ground in a daze. “Now use Double Kick!” Dawn ordered, hoping it would finish him off.   
As before, Monferno attacked Onix’s head. The force of his kicks sent the giant Pokémon into the wall, leaving an Onix-shaped imprint.   
A low groan emitted from the Rock Snake Pokémon as he began to try to sit back up. When he tired to focus on his trainer, everything grew fuzzy, and he allowed himself to fall to the ground, unconscious.   
Roark returned his Pokémon to its capsule, and began to worry that this battle wouldn’t be his. Sure, Cranidos was strong, but considering Dawn still had two Pokémon, it would be a close match. Right now though, he had to rely on the fact that Monferno was still probably weakened.   
“Cranidos, let’s finish this up!” Roark said, finally releasing the little dinosaur.   
“Cray-neee!” The rock Pokémon growled, stamping his foot on the ground, and kicking up dirt.   
Monferno smirked. He knew that he was tired, but for Dawn, he would fight till the very end.   
“Mach Punch!” Dawn ordered.   
Fists glowing white, Monferno ran at Cranidos, and smacked his head, though it hardly fazed the rock Pokémon.   
“Cranidos, use Mud-Slap!” Roark ordered, waiting for his follow up move.   
Cranidos turned around, and began to furiously kick dirt at Monferno. The move was a weak one, so it did little damage, but that wasn’t the objective. “Now use Headbutt!” He finished.   
Cranidos rammed into Monferno’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him.   
Monferno struggled to catch his breath, and Dawn didn’t know what to order him to do. Mach Punch and Double Kick were her only options, but she could see that Monferno was rapidly losing his stamina. “Use Leer!” She decided, figuring it would put the least amount of stress on him.   
Monferno glared at the dinosaur, making him shudder, but quickly closed his eyes due to the dirt burning them.   
“Focus Energy,” Roark ordered in a calmer tone.   
Taking a deep breath, a blue aura proceeded to surround the rock Pokémon, but disappeared in the blink of an eye.   
“Leer again!” Dawn ordered, stalling for time until Monferno completely catch his breath.   
Roark smiled. “Stalling won’t help, Dawn!” He said aloud. Cranidos snorted in agreement, kicking more dirt into the air. “Finish him off with another Headbutt!”   
“Get one last Mach Punch in!” Dawn ordered.   
Using his remaining strength, Monferno sat up enough to smack Cranidos one more time before he was knocked out.   
Dawn felt her own guilt rise as she recalled her fallen Pokémon. She felt bad, and almost as if she had let them down.   
Swapping poké balls, Dawn silently prayed that Bidoof would claim victory. “Go, Bidoof!” She called.   
Bidoof came out with a cheerful call, completely unaware of his fallen teammates, but stopped when the floating rocks then attacked him. Once the dust had cleared, Bidoof shook it off like nothing had happened, leaving Dawn feeling slightly relieved.   
Roark raised his eyebrows. He found her choice interesting, and it certainly wasn’t what he had expected. Nonetheless, he was ready to give an order. “Use Headbutt!”   
“Stop him with Grass Knot!” Dawn countered.   
Bidoof nodded, and then dug his claws into the ground. The small patch of grass Cranidos was running by began to glow a bright green, then grew, and wrapped around his legs. The grass then began to suck some of his health, resulting in him grunting in pain.   
Roark cringed, but luckily for them both, he already had a counter. “Use Flamethrower to destroy all the grass!” He ordered.   
Cranidos opened his mouth, and a bright inferno was released. The grass in the area was burnt to a crisp, and Bidoof even got caught in the attack.   
Bidoof cringed at the smell of his own burnt fur, and glared at Cranidos.   
Though, this put Dawn in a bind once again. Grass Knot was their only effective move, and without any grass on the field, the move was useless.   
_“I guess we’re just going to have to rely on the fact that Grass Knot did weaken him…but now what?”_ Dawn thought to herself.   
“Use Headbutt.” Roark directed.   
Cranidos stood up, and began to run at Bidoof.   
She knew she didn’t have a lot of time, so Dawn gave a quick order. “Defense Curl!” Bidoof curled into a tight ball, and allowed himself to get hit by Cranidos. The move did increase his defense, but it still hurt considerably.   
“Headbutt again!” Roark yelled.   
This time, Cranidos was too close for Bidoof to successfully use Defense Curl. The attack sent him a good distance, and was bound to leave him with a few bruises. “Biii,” he grumbled, struggling to stand on his feet.   
“Hang in there, Bidoof!” Dawn encouraged, trying to think of what to do next.   
“Flamethrower!” Roark ordered.   
Cranidos took in a deep breath prepping his bright inferno.   
If she couldn’t attack, the least she could do was dodge. “Use Rollout to get away!” Dawn ordered.   
Bidoof curled himself into a tight ball like he would for Defense Curl, but instead of staying in one spot, he rolled away, narrowly missing the fire. Taking advantage of his move, Bidoof then began to roll. This time, he attacked Cranidos.   
Cranidos’s already lowered defense didn’t help the situation. His head began to feel foggy, and everything began to spin. He didn’t want to give up. It wasn’t in his nature.   
“Crai,” he snorted, attempting to puff out his chest in a proud manner.   
Roark gritted his teeth in frustration. To him, this battle was as good as over, but like Cranidos, giving in wasn’t his style. “Headbutt!” He ordered, silently praying for a critical hit.   
Almost as if his silent prayers were answered, when the attack collided with the rolling Bidoof, a gut wrenching crack sound filled the air when he collided with one of the floating rocks.   
Dawn’s eyes widened at hearing the sound, and a violent chill was sent through her spine. “Bidoof!” She yelled in dismay, getting ready to run over to him.   
She sighed in relief as the beaver began to stir.   
Bidoof grumbled as he fought to stand. His left limb began to feel numb, along with that side of his body.   
“Hang in there, Bidoof!” Dawn encouraged, wondering is she should just call everything off. This was getting too savage for her liking, and it felt cruel to have Bidoof continue.   
Bidoof began to sense her doubt, but he knew that he couldn’t let her think like that! Sure, he didn’t know a whole lot about her since he was still new to her, but he did know that he trusted her, and she just needed to trust him. “Bii,” He growled, baring his large teeth.   
A gasp emitted from Dawn as a white light cloaked Bidoof. She figured that this meant evolution, but it felt so soon. She still wasn’t too used to the idea that Chimchar had evolved into Monferno. Shakily, she grabbed for her Pokédex, and waited for the light to fade so she could scan him.   
“Bibarel!” He called, his tone now deeper. The Beaver Pokémon was now of a greater size, and it seemed that the evolution even fixed his numbness. Slapping his large, brown tail on the ground, Bibarel signaled to Dawn that he was now more than ready to battle.   
Quickly glancing at the information displayed on her Pokédex, Dawn noted that he had learned a new, and very useful, move in place of an old one. She smirked to herself, knowing that victory was just within reach.   
“Alright, Bibarel!” She cheered, receiving another tail slap from the large Pokémon. “Let’s finish this with-”  
“Hang on!” Roark yelled, his voice overshadowing Dawn’s.   
Dawn stopped, waiting to see what the Gym Leader had to say.   
He began to walk out to the field, over to his Cranidos. Once he reached the blue and gray dinosaur, he patted his head. “I think we’re done here. We forfeit,” He said, a grunt of dissatisfaction emitting from his Pokémon.   
Bibarel crossed his arms, a tad upset that he didn’t get to show off his new move. He jumped when he felt a small hand on his shoulder. He moved his chestnut gaze down, and saw Dawn at his side.   
She was shocked by his size. He was much taller than she was, at just below six feet, which was double the average size of a Bibarel.   
“You were amazing!” She praised, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.   
Bibarel gave a little laugh, and he attempted to return the gesture, figuring it was a kind one.   
Lucas stood up from his spot, and began to walk over to his companion, ready with words of encouragement.   
When he was beside the water Pokémon, Dawn couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, he’s almost as tall as you are!” She chimed.   
Lucas also laughed, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the gym leader heading towards them.   
Dawn too noticed this, and turned to face him.   
Reaching in the pocket of his jacket, he revealed the Oreburgh Badge. He smiled as she took the badge from his hands. “Well, as a trainer this is a sad loss for me, but as a gym leader, it’s good to see great talent. Both you and your Pokémon certainly re-taught me to never underestimate a challenger,” He congratulated.   
Looking away from the small object in her hand, Dawn’s sapphire eyes met the cordovan ones of Roark. “Why’d you give in? I figured you could still win,” She asked.   
Roark smiled, glancing at Bibarel. “I didn’t want to, but I guess part of being a good trainer is knowing your limits. I know that Bibarel learn Water Gun as soon as they evolve, so I didn’t want to make Cranidos suffer any more than he had to,” He explained, watching as his Pokémon and Dawn’s were having a silent glaring match.   
Dawn nodded, and took a mental note of what he had said.   
“Well, how about we get our Pokémon to the Pokémon Center?” Lucas offered, now looking at the girl beside him.   
Dawn suddenly remembered the state of which Turtwig was in, and quickly agreed. Though, just before they could leave, Roark felt the need to say something.   
“Dawn,” He said, grabbing the girl’s attention.   
“Hmm?” She mumbled, Bibarel also turning.   
He grinned. “I have a feeling our paths will cross again some day. I look forward to it,” He stated.   
Dawn nervously agreed, not know what else to say to his odd statement. Without another word, the two trainers and Bibarel began to make their way to the Pokémon Center.   
Once they had left the gym, Roark crossed his arms and smirked. “So, you’re sure she’s the one?” He asked aloud, seemingly to no one.   
“Positive.” Came a soft voice from the rafters high up at the gym’s ceiling. Sitting on one of the metal beams was a female, who looked to be at least eighteen in age. Her clothes matched the look of a Xatu, her jacket was designed to look like the wings, and her pants were green with two yellow stripes near the bottom. Even her shoes matched the red and white pattern of a Xatu’s foot.   
Next to the girl was a tall psychic Pokémon. Her elegant, white ‘dress’ flowed in a nonexistent breeze, making it look like she was levitating. Her red eyes shifted towards the girl, even before she started speaking.   
“Don’t doubt my Pokémon, Roark. We predicted you would lose,” She said, leaping from the beam.   
Gardevoir didn’t hesitate to grab her with her psychic powers, and then use Teleport to bring them to the ground, unharmed.   
“They’re called Psychic Pokémon for a reason.” She continued without missing a beat. Running her pale fingers through her short green hair, she cast her minty gaze on the leader ahead of her. “Understand?” She asked, her tone very calm.   
Roark nodded. “Yes, Selene. It just seems…odd. There doesn’t appear to be anything special about her.” He said.   
Selene’s voice remained monotone. “No, there is nothing special about her in the way you may be thinking. She doesn’t have any amazing abilities outside of being worthy of a champion, but she does hold the future of our world in her hands,” She explained.   
It still didn’t make sense to Roark. How could one girl hold that much in her future?   
“I know it’s a lot to digest, but I advise you believe me. Though, the boy worries me,” She stated, now looking out the door, leading to the fossil gallery entryway.   
Roark cocked his eyebrow. “Why’s that?” He asked.   
“Gardevoir and Xatu have said that a male holds a lot of influence on her future, but they’ve never been specific with their descriptions. Sometimes it’s a good influence, and others…not so much,” She explained.   
The gym leader nodded, then sighed. “I guess we’ll just have to keep an eye on them. Do any others know of this?” He asked.   
She nodded. “Two others: both my partners. I’m attempting to get contact with the other gym leaders, and your champion, but she is not easy to track down. I’ll keep you informed though,” She said, as if their conversation were now ended. 

 

“Barry?” Dawn asked, taking notice of the blonde boy walking into the main room.   
With a yawn, he greeted his friend. “Hey, Dawn.” Taking notice of the large Pokémon beside her, he couldn’t resist asking. “When’d you catch him?” He asked.   
Dawn smiled as she continued to walk up to the Nurse’s counter. “Yesterday, actually. He evolved just a little while ago during our gym battle,” She explained.   
While the two chatted, Lucas took the opportunity to check in their Pokémon so Dawn didn’t have to take time from her conversation. Once he was finished, he waited for Bibarel to follow the nurse to the back, and then turned his attention to the two trainers.   
“Ah, see, I already have had my badge,” Barry boasted, showing off his badge that looked no different from Dawn’s.   
“How? I was the first challenger this morning,” Dawn asked.   
Barry rolled his orange eyes at her. “I got here last night. I was the last challenger of the day. Piplup’s almost ready to evolve,” He continued to brag.   
Dawn smiled. “Really? Chimchar is now Monferno,” She countered, relishing Barry’s confused expression.   
“How?” He asked.   
In truth, Dawn didn’t know the answer, but she didn’t want Barry to know that. Luckily, Lucas came to her rescue.   
“Chimchar naturally evolve sooner than Piplup. It has something to do with survival. They’re probably at equal level, Monferno is just evolved, is all,” He informed.   
Barry, however, seemed unable to stand the fact that his Pokémon was still not evolved. Sure, Piplup was fine as a Piplup, but he felt somehow inferior to Dawn now. This called for some extra training.   
He informed them that he was now on his way for training, and that if they saw one another later, he might be willing to travel with them for awhile, permitting that they were going at a fast enough pace.   
The two trainers looked at one another, and both laughed.   
“Well, if you want to stick around to wait for him, that’s quite alright with me.” Lucas offered.   
Dawn hardly gave it any thought. “You know, I’ve been around Barry since I was, like, seven. As much as I love him, time with you seems more enjoyable right now. A break from his is certainly what I need,” She said, blushing as how lame she thought it sounded.   
A very small blush tinted Lucas’s cheeks. “It’s whatever you want,” He told her, smiling. “But do we want to start heading back to Jubilife after this?”   
Dawn nodded. “Sure. How long do you think it’ll take this time?” She asked.   
He thought for a few seconds. “Judging by how long it took us last night, we probably won’t get there until tonight. Though, maybe if we get Monferno and Bibarel to help, it’ll go a little quicker.” He said.   
“Sounds good,” She replied, taking a second to look at the doors leading to the back of the Pokémon Center. “Oh, and…I’m so sorry about Turtwig,” She apologized, her tone sullen.   
When she lowered her head to look at the ground, Lucas placed his hand on her shoulder as an attempt at reassurance. “Hey, it’s okay. In Pokémon battles, things like this happen. It’s pretty much unavoidable. I’m obviously not mad, and I doubt Turtwig is. Just learn from what happened, and more than likely you’ll be more than capable of finding a way to avoid it next time,” He told her.   
Dawn looked back up, and have him a shy smile. “Thanks,” was all she could muster, in fear of saying something wrong. She was scared that he was going to be mad, but she was glad that he proved her wrong.   
Removing his hand, Lucas then posed a question. “You want to go for a walk? We should probably also get some things before we leave town.”   
“That sounds nice,” Dawn said.   
When the two began to walk out the door, the center’s nurse walked from the back of the building, and saw them both. Lucas’s Starly was perched on her arms, and both of them were smiling. “Aww, they’re so cute,” She commented, looking down at the Starly, who chirped in agreement.


	4. Master

A Platinum Journey 

Chapter Four

Master 

 

Being the busiest city in all of Sinnoh, the ‘night life’ in Jubilife City was just beginning. The sun had set hours ago, but things were only beginning to heat up.   
“C’mon! Fifty poké!” One of the many street vendors yelled into the crowd, trying to get them to fall into his gambling trap.   
People argued and fought, attempting to win against the vendors, most ending in failure.   
One of the crowd members stood there silently, only there to kill time.   
“You there!” The vendor called, pointing towards the green-haired girl.   
She looked up, her green eyes void of emotion.   
He smirked, figuring he had found another sucker. “You look like a winna’! Come try. It’s simple,” he said.   
She had to refrain from openly mocking him. She knew that his little cup jumble trick would normally make her lose no matter what.   
It was simple, really. He would place the item under one of the cups, and as he moved them, he would then use that momentum to force the item out of the cup, and into his sleeve. That way, nobody could win, and he would get to keep their money.   
Though, she too had a few tricks up her sleeve. “I would, but all I have is a two-hundred Poké Bill,” she innocently told him, watching as his eyes lit up at the sight of the purple bill she pulled from her green pants pocket.   
“If ya’ win, ya’ get double yer money,” he said, hoping she would place the bill on his table.   
She gave a small sigh as she placed the bill on his table.   
The crowd around her now intently began to watch to see if she would actually lose her money or not.   
Hastily, he grabbed the bill, and picked up the middle cup. “Okay, now I’m gonna place this here pebble under the cup. I’ll switch ‘em around,” he began to explain, pausing to rapidly move the cups.   
While he moved them, she looked up for a few seconds, and glanced at a tiny bird Pokémon that was perched on an electrical wire.   
The bird Pokémon knew exactly what this meant. They had done this plenty of times before. He had been following the cups with his almond shaped eyes, and using his psychic powers, prevented the pebble from leaving the cup. He then used his psychic powers again, but this time to tell the girl which cup it was under.   
“An now y’pick which cup ya’ think it’s under. If yer right, I double yer money, but if yer wrong, I get t’keep it,” he bargained.   
“The one of the right,” she simply answered.   
The vendor smiled. “Sorry, little lady, but I believe–” he paused after lifting the cup, only to see the pebble.   
The crowd gasped as she gave a small chuckle. “I believe you owe me four-hundred poké,” she told him, holding out her hand.   
The vendor gritted his teeth. It had been a long time since he actually owed anybody money. “Tell ya’ what?” He said, withholding her money. “Triple or nothing this round,” he offered.   
She gave it no thought. “Fine.”   
With the same process, the girl picked the right cup again, claimed her money, and then took her leave. Enough time had been wasted.   
Once she was out of sight from the vendor, she had her Pokémon use Teleport to get her away from the area. Past experience had taught her that the vendors had people set up around the area to catch any lucky winners.   
She knew she was basically cheating, but she was cheating the cheaters. In her mind, it evened itself out.   
The area she was now in was a much calmer portion of the city. The only place open here was a Pokémon Center.   
Heading towards the center were two people. The girl immediately knew that it was Dawn and Lucas.   
“Sleep well, for your first challenge will soon present itself,” she said, a small breeze blowing through the area.   
A small beeping sounded from inside her pocket, and she then pulled out a small, black communicator.   
“Selene, I’ve spotted a few of those Galactic Grunts around the west side of town,” the male voice spoke in an urgent tone.   
“I’ll be there soon. Lets go, Natu,” she simply replied, placing the communicator back in her pocket. In a flash, she was gone. 

 

With a soft yawn, and a flutter of her sapphire eyes, Dawn began to wake up. It was close to eleven in the morning, which for her was abnormal. Usually, she was an early riser. However, constant travel and early wakeup calls had rendered her more tired than usual.   
Looking to her right at the bed next to hers, she saw that even her traveling partner was still asleep.   
His black hair was a mess, and his body was faced towards Dawn.   
Shaking her head, she attempted to get out of her bed without waking the slumbering Pokémon that were also there. Bibarel and Stunky were curled up together on the foot of the bed, and Monferno was on the opposite pillow.   
Smiling at her Pokémon, Dawn finally got up, grabbed a new pair of clothes, and went to shower. Once she was done with that, she walked back into their room to see that Lucas was now awake.   
“Morning, Dawn,” he calmly said with a smile.   
Dawn returned the smile, and the two then began the task of feeding their Pokémon. Lucas left to take his shower while Dawn fed the remainder of her Pokémon.   
Stunky finished first, and then walked back over to Dawn, and gave her an expectant look. She couldn’t explain it, but she had this strange urge to sit in the girl’s lap, and have her scratch her ears again. “Stun?” She asked, standing on her hind limbs, and pawing Dawn’s legs.   
Dawn looked at her poison Pokémon and smiled. “Come here,” she said, picking up Stunky. Placing her on her lap, she began to stroke her fur, and waited for Lucas. She knew that the trip to Floaroma Town was going to be a long one. Lucas had said a week at the shortest.   
It had been a long time since she had gone camping, so she wasn’t sure if she was excited at the prospect or not. 

 

The two trainers spent some time at the stores deciding what they needed, and what they didn’t. Afterwards, they had to spend some time deciding who would carry what, and when.   
After much debate, Dawn finally managed to convince Lucas that she was more than capable of carrying the tent. Being the gentlemen that he is, Lucas couldn’t stand the thought of making her carry supplies, after all, that was his job.   
While walking along the trail outside of Jubilife City, Dawn had released Bibarel for some air. The large beaver kept laughing at Lucas’s failing attempts at getting Dawn to let him carry things.   
He couldn’t help but find their interactions very interesting.   
“Would you stop already?” Dawn asked, obviously faking anger.   
Lucas smiled. “Sorry my mother raised me right. Would you rather me be a jerk and shove you around?” He sarcastically asked.   
Dawn flinched, but it was too brief for Lucas to notice. When she was sure he hadn’t noticed, she returned the smile. “I’d have to be an idiot to say yes.”   
The two continued to talk, and enjoy the scenery around them, when Bibarel came to a sudden stop. He placed his arms out, telling the trainers to stop. Lifting his head, he began to sniff the air.   
There was an off feeling in the air, and a strange scent caught his nose.   
“Something wrong, Bibarel?” Dawn asked, also looking around.   
Off in the woods, the Pokémon that had been following the two silently cursed at the change of winds. Her scent was hidden from them, but now, it would only be a few seconds until that Bibarel found her.   
She didn’t fully understand why she was following them. It was almost as if something from within her was telling her to do so. Her inner aura was powerful, and it often lead her to some interesting situations.   
Long ago, not long after she was hatched, the elder of her small pack told her that she was destined for great things. Though, in order to achieve greatness, she would have to leave their sanctuary on Iron Island, and locate her destined master.   
When asked who this master was, the elder said that when the time came, she would know.   
After a long journey, consisting of sneaking on the human’s ocean monsters, and battling many wild Pokémon that accused her of trespassing on their territory, she finally felt a strange sensation that she knew exactly where she was going. It only took one sighting from the night before for her to realize who her master was supposed to be.   
“Ri,” she grunted, leaping from the boulder she was currently sitting on. Her black hind legs skillfully landed on another rock, keeping perfect balance. Her red eyes followed the beaver that was now looking in her direction. It was time to take action.   
Waving her blue arms above her small body, she quickly brought them back down to her right side, creating a small cyclone of energy.   
However, Bibarel had anticipated the attack, using his large body to shield the humans. He then quickly retaliated with Water Gun.   
Riolu was too fast. She dodged with ease, and then locked eyes with Bibarel. She then began to bark a few words, resulting in the beaver tilting his head in confusion.   
With a curt nod, Bibarel turned around to face Lucas. “Bi-Bibarel,” he spoke.   
Obviously, they didn’t understand him, so Bibarel sighed, and kept his ground.   
“Is that a Riolu?” Dawn asked, looking to Lucas for confirmation.   
He gave an absent nod, trying to concentrate on the soft voice he could just barely hear.   
_“Battle me,”_ the soft whisper said.   
Looking into the eyes of the Riolu, Lucas was now positive that she was using telepathy to communicate with him. “I think I’m going to attempt to catch it, unless of course you would like to,” he told Dawn.   
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think I want a Riolu,” she replied.   
With a nod, Lucas reached for a poké ball, and Bibarel returned to Dawn’s side.   
“Go, Starly!” Lucas called, releasing the Starling Pokémon.   
With a sharp twirl, Starly began to chirp a soft melody.   
Riolu smirked. She knew she had a disadvantage, but she wasn’t about to be beat by a bird. Not without a good fight at least. Whirling her arms around her head as before, she released another powerful Vacuum Wave.   
“Use Quick Attack to dodge!” Lucas ordered.   
A faint light encased Starly as she easily dodged the gust of wind, and with a slight turn, she then aimed for Riolu.   
In a panic, Riolu did her best to avoid the hit, but Starly’s beak clipped her shoulder, leaving a small wound. She placed her other paw over the wound then brought it into view. A little blood coated her paw, but it wasn’t near enough to discourage her.   
“Use Aerial Ace,” Lucas calmly directed.   
Quickly gaining altitude, Starly then took a steep dive at Riolu.   
Using her red eyes to track the gray blur heading for her, Riolu stuck her paw out just as Starly came in for the hit. From her paw a strong energy was released, sending Starly flying into a thick patch of grass.   
She shook off the effects of the weakened Aerial Ace, and returned to a fighting stance.   
Hopping out of the grass, Starly shook her feathers, and puffed herself out in anger. “Star-Starly!” She angrily chirped.   
Lucas remained silent for a few moments as he thought of what to do next. Force Palm was a tricky move, and if he wasn’t careful, it could leave Starly paralyzed.   
Riolu stifled a grunt. Deciding that the human was taking too long, she brought her paws together and stood on one leg, concentrating. Two copies of her image appeared at her side, each of them now in a fighting stance.   
When they raised their arms to use Vacuum Wave, Lucas was quick to retaliate. “Use Defog!” He ordered.   
Starly kept her position on the ground, and began to furiously flap her wings. The tips became outlined in a pale blue light, and once released, caused Riolu to lose her focus, and also caused the copies to disappear.   
“Now follow up with Aerial Ace!”   
Quick as a flash, Starly took to the sky, and was now speeding towards the Emanation Pokémon.   
Being caught off guard, Riolu took the attack head on, resulting in a deep gash on her forehead. Blood trickled down her blue fur, pooling in her eyes, blurring her vision. “Riii,” she grumbled.   
She ran forward, tying to use Quick Attack, but her blurred vision resulted in her missing, allowing Starly to get in another Aerial Ace.   
Swaying on her feet, Riolu fought to keep concentration. The constant onslaught of attacks was weighing heavily on her. The wild Pokémon she had fought were so much easier than this. Then again, none of them were commanded by a trainer…by a master.   
Figuring it was in her own best interest, Riolu dropped to the ground, exhausted.   
Lucas took this opportunity to grab a black and gold poké ball from his side, and tossed it at the fallen Pokémon.   
With a few rapid shakes, the poké ball gave a loud click sound.   
Lucas was about to go retrieve Riolu’s poké ball, when a sharp chirp from Starly distracted him. Looking over, he saw a bright light encasing the bird Pokémon.   
When the light disappeared, the now larger bird Pokémon looked around in confusion.   
Though, with her now stern looking expression, it was hard to tell that she was confused. Using her broad wings, she was quick to take flight. “Staravia!” The Starling Pokémon cooed in a deeper tone. 

 

Through the remainder of their trip, time was passed by training Lucas’s new Riolu and Staravia. Both were turning into fine battlers, though, Riolu was beginning to show talent in a different spectrum: contest appeal.   
Her moves were not only powerful, but she also had a natural knack to make her attacks more appealing rather than pure force.   
With the duo’s late arrival into Floaroma Town, the first thing on their minds was to check into the Pokémon Center. While Lucas talked to the center’s nurse, Dawn and Stunky were busy checking the town events on the bulletin board. The advertisement that happened to catch her attention was one that was listing the dates for upcoming contests.   
The dates were pretty far apart from one another, one contest every month, but the next date: tomorrow. This gave her an idea.   
“We’re good,” Lucas said, interrupting her thoughts.   
With a smile, she silently followed him to their room, and waited until they had settled in to bring up the idea.   
“So, I was looking at the bulletin board, and I saw that there’s a contest tomorrow. You think you’re ready to enter?” She asked, more of a challenge rather than a simple question.   
Looking out the window, Lucas silently pondered the answer. He knew that he wanted to compete in a contest, and he did feel ready since Dawn had been judging the appeal he was working on with Riolu.   
“Ri!” Riolu cheered, having been released earlier. Shifting her red gaze from Dawn to Lucas, she gave him a look of sheer determination.   
“Well, I guess that settles it,” Lucas decided.   
The next morning, after their usual routine, the two trainers headed off into town for the contest arena. Still being early in the day, the town was still quiet, along with the arena.   
Bright colors seemed to be the theme of the arena. Portraits of past winners lined the walls, all the way up to the celling.   
While Lucas stood at the main counter filling out his registration form, Dawn took the opportunity to look thorough all the photos. The background of the photos reminded her of one of the photos her mother kept at home, and she wondered if this was where that contest was held.   
Down the line, obviously a quite a few years back, Dawn finally found the picture she had been looking for.   
It was a younger version of her mother in a stunning blue dress, Glameow held in her arms with a dignified smile.   
“You know, you and your mom do look a lot alike.” The voice had surprised Dawn. After her slight jump, she turned to see Lucas.   
“I guess,” she replied, looking back at the photo.   
Looking at the picture, then back at Dawn, Lucas posed a question. “How old was your mom in this picture?”   
“Sixteen,” Dawn immediately answered.   
Her prompt reply had taken Lucas by slight surprise. He figured she would at least take some time to think it over. “How long ago was this taken?”   
“Roughly eighteen years ago,” she replied, once again without thinking.   
Taking a few seconds, Lucas put the two together, and just looked at Dawn with a hard expression. “So, wait…” he mumbled.   
Dawn nodded her head, figuring what he was thinking. “Yeah, she was pregnant with me in this picture.”   
Silence followed before Dawn finally broke it with a cheerful air. “So, did you get registered?” She asked.   
“Yeah, and the contest isn’t for a few more hours, so would you like to help me refine the appeal?” He asked.   
After training for a few more hours, the duo, now with Riolu, returned to the arena. Dawn waited with Riolu in the main room so Lucas could go rent a tux for the contest.   
Noticing that the Emanation Pokémon seemed a little nervous, Dawn placed her hand on Riolu’s head. “Hey, there’s nothing to worry about,” she said in a sure tone. “It’s your first contest, and even though you may mess up a little, as long as you do your very best, Lucas will be proud.”   
Riolu smiled at Dawn, but her focus was dropped as soon as she sensed Lucas’s aura enter the room. “Lulu!” She called, casting a smile at him.   
Dawn was ready to give Lucas an automatic compliment, but all she managed was a small squeak. Luckily, he was still out of range so he didn’t hear, but Dawn reacted with a bright blush. Though, whether the blush was from her squeak, or the fact that Lucas was suddenly very appealing, that caused the blush, she wouldn’t be sure.   
Looking at Dawn, Riolu couldn’t help but laugh at the aura Dawn was now giving off.   
“What do you think?” Lucas asked, now standing in front of Dawn.   
Swallowing her nervousness, and praying that Lucas hadn’t noticed her blushing, Dawn finally replied. “Y-you look great,” she said. Though, that was the understatement of the century. Handsome, stunning, and other words to that effect also came to mind.   
The arena soon began to fill with more people and Pokémon, and with the start time being so close, Lucas decided to head off and Dawn hurried to find herself a seat.   
Once the appeal round began, Lucas felt all his nervousness break free.   
“And now,” the contest MC, Alena, began, turning around to face the camera. “Let’s introduce our judges! All the way from Hearthome City is Jordan!” She introduced, the camera now turning on the younger boy.   
“Charmed to be here, Alena,” he said in a smooth tone.   
The brunette girl giggled. “Next, a new face in the judging world, Erin!”   
The camera was then switched over to a young, nervous looking brunette. “Flattered to be here, Alena. I look forward to seeing everyone’s performance,” she nervously replied.   
Alena smiled at the girl, and switched to the final judge. “All the way from the cold city of Snowpoint, Lakota!” She introduced, the camera switching to a female with long, curly blonde hair.   
“I’m honored to be a part of this contest,” she quickly said, blinking her bright blue eyes.   
Still smiling, Alena faced the camera, and began to introduce the first competitor. 

 

So far the appeals he had watched were very impressive. The blonde guy and his Weavile put up a very impressive performance, and a few appeals later, the male with his Politoed also gave a stunning appeal.   
A guy with an Arcanine was up next, but Lucas was unable to watch his performance since he would be up next. Gathering himself, he stood in the hallway, waiting to be told he could enter the arena.   
Grabbing Riolu’s poké ball, he smiled at the Pokémon inside. “Just like we rehearsed. Just pretend like we’re the only ones preforming, and that no one else can do better,” he mumbled, half for himself.   
“Lucas, you’re on!” The referee called, walking into the hallway.   
With a quick deep breath, Lucas headed out to the field.   
“And up next is Lucas of Sandgem Town!” The contest MC announced.   
Throwing Riolu’s poké ball high into the air, the Emanation Pokémon came out in a bright flash, surrounded by bubbles. The bubbles were under her control with the aid of her aura powers, and when she blinked, they all simultaneously popped, surrounding herself in what looked to be a glitter.   
“Start off with Double Team, Riolu!” Lucas ordered, ignoring the crowd around them.   
Focusing, two other copies of Riolu appeared at her side, and without an order, they got in a triangle formation.   
So far everything was going according to plan. “Now, use Quick Attack to switch places!” He followed.   
Doing as he said, the three Riolu began to change places in a flash, looking as if they weren’t really moving.   
“And now use Vacuum Wave, then follow up with Force Palm to keep it moving!”   
One of the Riolu waved her arms as she switched places, sending a powerful cyclone of air towards another Riolu.   
Before it had a chance to hit the Riolu, their paws began to glow with a violet aura, and they then began to pass it back to one another.   
After doing this for a few seconds, allowing the crowd and judges to take in the appeal, Lucas called out the final order. “Now, stop and use full powered Force Palm!”   
All three Riolu stopped, two disappeared, and the actual Riolu finally used a strong Force Palm on the Vacuum Wave.   
The attack was reduced to nothing, exploding into little sparkles. Riolu took a bow, along with Lucas.   
“Very nice indeed,” Erin spoke.   
The purple-haired boy to her right smiled and nodded. “I agree with Erin. Certainly nothing short of fabulous.”   
Lakota nodded in agreement with the two judges. “Simple, but nonetheless amazing,” she spoke with confidence.   
Taking another bow, Lucas and Riolu exited the arena heading back to the waiting room. Both of them were shaking, but smiling at one another, they both knew they had done their best, and that it was too late to do any deciding.   
Eyes glued to the screen, watching the final appeals, Lucas failed to notice Dawn entering the coordinator room.   
Dawn wanted to laugh at how easily she got into the coordinator room. She knew it wasn’t exactly customary for any friends to enter the room, but she knew that, if she had to, she would play the ‘Berlitz Card’, and be granted access without any further questions.   
“Great job, Lucas,” she complimented, making the taller boy jump.   
Riolu giggled, having sensed Dawn earlier.   
“We probably could have gone without the Quick Attack part, but oh well. Too late now. You did fantastic, both of you,” she added, smiling at the two.   
Lucas returned the smile. “Thanks, but I’m still nervous about the results,” he told her.   
Dawn shrugged. “It’s your first contest, so don’t worry about it too much if you don’t make it. My mother actually failed her first five contests before she finally won a ribbon, and of those five time she only made it to the battle round twice,” she informed.   
Lucas wasn’t sure how to take her words. So, instead of overthinking things, he just decided to take the, ‘don’t worry’ aspect of it.   
“And now, if I could have your attention. The judging is completed!” Alena announced, breaking the tense silence in the coordinator room.   
All heads turned to the nearest television screen, patiently awaiting the results.   
“These lucky eight coordinators will move on to the battle round, where each coordinator will battle the other in a dazzling appeal to win the contest ribbon!” Alena announced.   
The screen then switched over to eight blank cards. They began to flip over one by one. The first one revealed the Arcanine guy; the guy with a Weavile was in second, followed by the boy with a Politoed.   
One by one, the remaining cards flipped.   
Lucas could feel anticipation clawing at him, and he hardly noticed Dawn placing her hand on his arm.   
The final card delayed to add to the anticipation, but once flipped, it revealed Lucas and Riolu!   
“Alright!” Dawn cheered, hugging Lucas. “I told you not to worry!”   
Lucas laughed, holding the girl close to him, not sure if he was more delighted in doing so, or the fact that he was moving on to the battle round.   
“There will now be a fifteen minute intermission so we can give our coordinators time to prepare themselves, and their Pokémon,” Alena concluded, the screen then switching to pictures captured during the eight coordinators appeal.   
Riolu was busy giggling at the humans, but stopped when she felt a different aura. It was one that that held a regal air to it, and she didn’t like it. Letting out a low growl, she eyed the blonde boy who was now walking over to them. She remembered him being the one with the Weavile.   
“Well, count yourself lucky. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even have considered you for the finals,” the boy spoke in a rude manner.   
Dawn and Lucas immediately let go of one another, and turned to face him. Dawn’s eyes were now set ablaze with anger. How dare he scrutinize Lucas like that?   
Ignoring their peeved expressions, the boy continued. “The appeal was flawed at best, and I don’t think the judges were thinking clearly when they decided upon you. A fluke is all,” he added.   
Dawn narrowed her eyes at him. “Just who do you think you are?” She demanded.   
He snickered. “Better than him, I assure you.”   
Noticing that Dawn was about to step forward, Lucas put a hand at her waist, and tried his best to keep her in a firm grip.   
“Oh, really now? You think you know everything, huh?” Dawn asked.   
The boy smirked as he adjusted the black tie on his expensive blue tux. “Most definitely. After all, I was in second place, wasn’t I? Unlike your friend here,” he spoke, his snobby tone sending angry chills up Dawn’s spine.   
“Forget it, Dawn. He’s not worth it,” Lucas spoke as he felt her trying to get out of his grasp.   
Dawn looked at him, her eyes still ablaze. “But, Lucas,” she grumbled.   
The boy chuckled. “Mmm, yes, you may not think I’m worth it, but, Doll, I assure you I am worth every penny,” he said, giving a sly wink at Dawn.   
Her cheeks flushed an angry red as she ripped from the now angered Lucas’s grip. “You think you know everything, but ‘I assure you’ that you don’t!” She yelled up at the taller boy, mocking his tone.   
He continued to smirk. Their little quarrel was beginning to attract attention from the remaining coordinators, and a little public humiliation was not far from his style. “Do you honestly think you know more about contests than I do?” He asked.   
“My mother was the Regional Contest Champion numerous times, and a Class-A coordinator. I’m positive I know more than you,” she said, trying her hardest to remain calm. When angered like this, she tended to start shaking and her speech would falter. She wasn’t about to show him this.   
The boy knew the tables had turned a bit, but he wasn’t about to back down. “Oh, really? Just who was your mother? A Millennia heir? Or maybe a Berlitz?” He asked, still using a mocking tone.   
Dawn smirked. “I’m Dawn Berlitz, daughter of Johanna Berlitz. Trust me, I know all about contests. So I believe you should show a little more respect for me, and my friend,” she demanded.   
His green eyes widened as he realized who he was messing with. “Well…at least the Millennia heirs still compete on their own; not train pathetic losers,” he grumbled, setting off Dawn.   
Just as Lucas was about to stop Dawn from retaliating before he was tempted to join in, the loud buzz of a Yanmega interrupted everyone.   
Behind the snobby boy, another guy in a simple tux was standing, giving the boy an angered glare. The Yanmega landed on his shoulders, scanning over everyone.   
“Mason, quit yer yappin’ an show the lady a little class. Tauntin’ a fellow coordinator ain’t right, an you know that,” he spoke, his accented tone clear with confidence.   
Mason looked at the people surrounding him, and silently admitted defeat. “Pardon me,” he grumbled, quickly making his exit.   
Dawn too began to grumble. “I can’t believe I let him make me use the Berlitz card,” she muttered under her breath.   
The brunette boy and his Yanmega began to make their way over to Dawn and Lucas, and he was quick to introduce himself. “I’m Tyson. Sorry ‘bout Mason. He’s been actin’ all regal an such since he’s begun to get famous. He’s all hot air, nothin’ more,” he explained.   
Lucas introduced them, and before anything else could be said, Dawn dismissed herself to return back to the stands. She wished Lucas luck, but didn’t say much more. Mason had unnerved her more than she wanted to admit, and that bothered her.   
“Yer friend is a bit of a hot-head, eh?” Tyson asked, his tone light. “Though, I’ll admit, I’m jealous of you. Gettin’ a Berlitz to train ya’? How does a guy get that lucky?” He asked.   
Lucas smiled. “Even I can’t begin to fathom that answer. Let’s just go with a lot of luck,” he answered, smiling as the girl disappeared behind the doors.   
“Well, whatever it may be, best of luck to ya’. I look forward to facing that Riolu of yers in the finals. Hopefully my Yanmega’s Speed Boost ability will beat that Mothim of Mason’s.” 

 

Lucas’s first battle was against a girl with a Luxio. It was tough, but he and Riolu managed to pull through.   
Mason and Yanmega put on a stunning battle against their opponent, and was to face Mason in the semi-finals.   
Lucas passed right through the semi-finals, and was now more nervous than ever. Especially since Tyson lost to Mason, meaning he would be his opponent.   
While waiting for the okay to head into the arena, Lucas noticed Tyson walking into the coordinator room. The brunette boy smiled at Lucas as he approached him. “Good luck out there, mate. Jus’ be careful. That Mothim of his is pretty tough. Though, Mason may be in over his head, if you know what I mean,” Tyson said, not giving Lucas time to reply. Yanmega was injured, and he wanted to tend to that before anything.   
The okay was given, and with confidence, Lucas headed out to the field, Mason standing on the opposite side, a smug smirk on his face.   
“Welcome to our final round, everyone! This battle will take place between Lucas and Mason! With five minutes on the clock, how which coordinator will dazzle our judges? Only one way to find out!” Alena introduced.   
She paused, looking from Mason then to Lucas. “Begin!” She yelled.   
Mason released the large, orange moth Pokémon. “Moth-Moh!” It called, surrounded by white confetti.   
Lucas released Riolu, who whirled the bubbles around her with her aura powers.   
“Mothim, start off with Air Cutter!” Mason ordered.   
Smiling, Lucas already thought of a counter. Mason had started his battle this way in his previous battles, so Lucas knew what to do. “Use Vacuum Wave to stop him!” He directed.   
Whirling her arms around, Riolu sent a powerful cyclone of energy at the ball of wind prepared by Mothim. The air move was destroyed, and Mason’s points were reduced.   
“Fine then, use Psybeam,” Mason directed.   
Mothim began to flap his wings furiously, building up energy, and then shot a multicolored ray at Riolu.   
“Counter with Force Palm!” Lucas hurried, hoping that the move would deflect Mason’s.   
Kneeling down to give herself support, Riolu placed her paw out, and just in time for the Psybeam to make contact, she used Force Palm. The combined energies seemed to take minutes before deciding what to do. One second it would seem as though the power would be deflected back to Mothim, but in the next it looked like Mothim’s attack would prevail.   
“Ri,” Riolu grunted, gritting her teeth. Mustering as much strength as she could manage, she sent Psybeam back at Mothim, resulting in a large amount of point loss.   
“Now use Quick Attack!” Lucas ordered, taking advantage of the weakened Mothim.   
Quick to her feet, Riolu began to race at the bug Pokémon.   
“When she gets close use Mud-Slap!” Mason ordered.   
Mothim nodded, quickly ducking the hit from Riolu. Swooping down, he used the tips of his wings to fling dirt at Riolu’s eyes.   
Riolu cried out as she tried to rub the dirt from her stinging eyes.   
“Use Air Cutter!” Mason ordered, hoping it would be his final order.   
“Blaze Kick!” Lucas countered.   
Mason’s eyes grew wide with surprise. He watched as Riolu’s foot was encased with fire, and she leapt at Mothim. The bug Pokémon was caught off guard, and didn’t even have time to dodge.   
Lucas had purposely not used Blaze Kick throughout the contest, just so he could have a trump card move for his battle against Mason.   
The bug Pokémon tried to get up, but had sustained a burn, visible on his now tarnished wings.   
“Psybeam!” Mason ordered, realizing that they were short of time.   
Lucas too realized this, and ordered Riolu to use Double Team.   
A loud buzzer sounded off just before Mothim could use his attack. “Time!” Alena called.   
All focus was turned to the scoreboard, and the one with the most amount of points left: Lucas!   
“And it looks like our victor is the team of Lucas and Riolu!” Alena announced, the crowd shouting their approval.   
Mason and Mothim gave a scornful glare at the winning team. They were both completely dumbfounded at the turn of events. He was convinced that they would win, especially since he had the type advantage.   
But with a heavy heart, Mason walked across the field with Mothim behind him, and shook hands with Lucas. “Congrats,” he said.   
While Alena was still talking, Mason added, “Though, it’s still a fluke. We’ll settle this another time.” He took his leave, and Riolu continued to stare after him. She didn’t like him, but underneath his pompous aura, there was a kind one.   
Lucas only shook his head slightly at him, waiting for Alena to make her way over to him with the judges.   
The three judges stood up from the table, Jordan holding an item in his hands. “It is my distinct honor to award you with the Floaroma Town Contest Ribbon,” he said, handing a minty green ribbon to Lucas.   
The crowd cheered, and calmed down once again as Lakota began to speak. “I’d also like to award you with these two Sooth Bells,” she said, handing him the two silver bells.   
Riolu smiled up at the silver bells emitting the pleasant sound.   
Lakota smiled, brushing some of her curly blonde hair away from her face. “I like giving two Sooth Bells for winners because they’re very symbolic. Normally they’re used to make your Pokémon warm up to you faster, but if you would like, you can keep one, and give the other to someone important to you. It’s something my family has done for many generations, and they always said, ‘so long as you each have a bell, your spirits will be soothed, and your hearts will always find a way back to one another.’” She explained.   
Lucas smiled, already having an idea as to whom he would give the other bell to. “Thank you,” he spoke.   
“And that, everyone, is the conclusion to our contest! We hope you’ll all go out and continue to support your local contests!” 

 

With the contest over, the coordinators and contest audience began to flood out of the arena, making it difficult for Dawn to get back to the coordinator room.   
Lucas stood there, staring at his first contest ribbon. Riolu smiled at him, and then gave a chipper bark when she sensed Dawn’s aura.   
“Well, what did I tell you?” Dawn asked, approaching Lucas.   
He turned around and gave her a bright smile. “Hey, I have to thank you, don’t I?” He asked, holding his arms out, inviting her to hug him.   
She accepted the invitation, and laughed.   
“If not for you, then I probably wouldn’t have even made it past the appeal round,” he added as he wrapped his arms around her.   
“Nah, you would have figured it out,” she told him, laying her head on his chest. Then a certain scent caught her attention. Lucas was wearing cologne, and it smelled very nice. That, along with their close proximity, bright a rosy tint to her cheeks.   
Suddenly remembering something, Lucas pulled away from Dawn a bit, and reached into his pocket.   
Not noticing her blushing, he presented her the other Sooth Bell. “Here,” he said, placing it in her hand.   
She gave him a puzzled look.   
“Well, Lakota said to give it to someone important, and you were the first person who came to mind,” he told her, blushing slightly.   
Smiling, she hugged Lucas again.   
Watching the two made Riolu happy, but at the same time, she felt a little envious. She had worked hard too! “Ri!” She grunted.   
Dawn pulled away from Lucas, smiling, and bent down to pick up Riolu. “I’m sorry, Riolu,” she said, giving the Emanation Pokémon some attention. She then looked back to Lucas. “Why don’t you go get changed, and I’ll watch over Riolu. We’ll meet you in the main lobby,” she offered.   
He agreed, and began to walk back towards the changing rooms.   
Dawn admired every last second of him in a tux before he disappeared behind the double doors. She laughed. “I need to make sure he enters more contests, even if it is just to appease my own amusement.”   
Minutes later, Lucas appeared in the main lobby, and found Dawn talking to a frantic Barry.   
“Come on, Dawn! I need your help! These idiots by the name of Team Galactic stole my Munchlax!” The frantic blonde boy yelled.   
Dawn and Riolu were giving him suspicious looks.   
Barry then noticed Lucas. “You! Talk some sense into her! I’ve already gone to the authorities, but they just think I’m crazy!”   
Lucas was half tempted to say, “Well I can see where they’re coming from on that assumption,” but decided against it. “Start from the beginning, what happened?” He asked.   
Sighing an impatient sigh, Barry began to explain what happened.   
He and his Pokémon were training down by the Valley Windworks, hoping to find a Drifloon, when he was approached by two oddly dressed men engaged him in battle, and then stole his Munchlax. They ran off into the Valley Windworks building, and eventually he was led to here to seek help.   
Lucas looked at Dawn. “I guess we can’t say no to that,” he told her.   
Dawn agreed, and then told Barry to lead the way.


	5. Galactic Conflict

A Platinum Journey 

Chapter Five

Galactic Conflict 

 

Looking around with sleepy eyes, the Pokémon focused on the area around him. His vision was disrupted by the iron bars that held him captive, but he could still see what was going on.   
Around him, people in funny outfits were busy typing away at glowing computer screens. It didn’t mean much to the Pokémon. All he knew was the hunger growing in his little belly, and that the Pokémon in the iron cage next to him seemed terrified.   
The little chubby, blue-green creature was huddled to himself, keeping his paws on his belly. Having battled the species before, he knew that the creature was called Munchlax, and was more than likely carrying a bunch of berries in its fur. That thought alone made the Pokémon’s stomach growl loudly.   
The human nearest to his cage shouted, and smacked the cage, yelling for him to be quiet.   
“Numel,” the weary Pokémon grumbled. His yellow and green fur prickled with anger, but his hunger had left him so weak, he couldn’t even use a move as simple as his Heat Wave.   
“Mun,” the Munchlax grumbled, giving Numel a saddened look.   
The portly Pokémon was tempted to give him one of his berries, but at the same time, he was scared they were going to let him starve. On top of that, he was scared he would never get to see that hyperactive trainer of his. As much as the trainer stressed him, Munchlax missed him a whole lot right now. Surly he would come to his rescue…

 

“That’s it up ahead. The place has been crawling with those Galactic morons,” Barry said, motioning towards the large building that lay ahead of them.   
Large windmills lined the fields, towering over the land. Their large blades gently rotated, producing precious energy for the Windworks. Though, as serene as everything seemed, there was also a note of apprehension in the air.   
Dawn questioned herself if they were really about to do this. After all, they were just teenagers. Taking back stolen Pokémon seemed like something for someone else to do.   
As the trio approached the Windworks, Barry stopped everyone. He then sent out a large beetle Pokémon. “Hera!” The bug Pokémon called.   
“Heracross, go take out the security cameras!” Barry quietly ordered.   
With a swift nod, Heracross began to walk his way towards the building. He then looked up, his big eyes scanning for the object his trainer was talking about. Though, he wished he knew what a ‘security camera’ was.   
Seeing something shiny at the edges of the building, he decided to go for those, figuring it was his best shot.   
Swiftly, he took out both shiny objects with his Aerial Ace, and then looked back at Barry.   
“Great job!” The blonde trainer said. His approval pleased Heracross. “Okay, now take down the door with your Horn Attack!”   
The trainers watched as the bug Pokémon rammed the door. In just a few hits, the door broke off its hinges. Everyone was quick to enter the building before they could possibly be stopped.   
The hum of large, computer mainframes filled the air, and the building was dimly lit. Through a gap in the mainframes, Barry spotted stairs, and it seems there was a brighter source of light coming from there. Silently, he nodded in that direction, and they began to make their way over there.   
“Why do we get stuck with all the crap jobs?” The voice of an angry person muttered as they walked down the stairs. Two Pokémon trailed at their heels. Their dark eyes darted around beneath the skull appendage on their heads. While they scented something, one of the humans saw a quick movement away from them.   
The two grunts looked at one another, and nodded. “It was probably just a stupid electric Pokémon breaking in to feed or something,” the female grunt said, the other nodding in agreement. They returned upstairs, their Houndour confused as to what they were doing.   
“Commander!” The male grunt said once they reached the back room.   
A lady who looked to be in her late twenties turned around, her ruby eyes glaring. “What?” She asked in a sharp voice.   
“We’ve spotted intruders downstairs,” the male reported.   
The commander sighed angrily. Everything had been going according to plan. Their mission to steal the energy from the Windworks was so far a success. They had little interruption, and with a little threatening, they found the workers to be most compliable.   
“We’re almost done here, so take a few more grunts and keep them occupied,” the ordered with a wave of the hand.   
“Yes, Commander!” The grunts agreed in unison. On their way back downstairs, they gathered more grunts.   
“Everybody find them and get them out of here!” One of the grunts ordered.   
Bright flashes filled the dimly lit room, and Pokémon of all types began to frantically search the area. One of the numerous Glameow caught a strange scent. It was one she had never scented before.   
“Vacuum Wave!” A foreign voice ordered.   
From atop the rack of computer servers, a small blue Pokémon appeared, smirking at the Pokémon around her. “Riolu!” She growled, sending another Vacuum Wave towards them. The opposing Pokémon scattered, knocking over numerous things making the terrain difficult to maneuver.   
While Lucas provided this distraction Dawn and Barry took the opportunity to sneak upstairs. Dawn’s Stunky took the lead, keeping an eye out for any opponents. Dawn had also left Bibarel and Barry left Heracross downstairs with Lucas to help aid his distraction.   
“Slash!”   
With hardly any notice, a large force struck Stunky’s forehead leaving a wide gash. She was then pinned to the floor by a large, and rather ugly, cat Pokémon.   
“Stunky!” Dawn yelled, Barry putting his arm out to stop her from running to her Pokémon.   
“So, you’re the twerps causing a scene.” The female commanding the Pokémon said in an angered tone.   
Off in the corner of the room two Pokémon in cages noticed the trainers, and both gave a call of rejoice. “Mun!” The Munchlax called. The grunt closest to him smacked the cage for him to be quiet. He was far more interested in the conflict going on between the trainers and his commander than listening to some Pokémon.   
Munchlax glared at the green-haired person. Knowing that his trainer was so close he was done biding his time. He was going to escape. His fist began to glow white and with a swift punch, the bars to his cage crumbled. The grunt beside him freaked out, but didn’t have enough time to grab one of his own poké balls before Munchlax gave his face a good lick.   
Watching as the grunt fell to the floor, stunned, Munchlax laughed and then looked at the Numel in the cage beside him.   
After quickly freeing him, he grabbed a berry from his fur pouch and gave it to the weakened Pokémon. Not waiting to see if he ate the berry or not Munchlax hurried towards his trainer. He saw that the girl’s Stunky was struggling under the weight of the other Pokémon. Without a second thought he ran to build up his Tackle and hit the cat Pokémon with as much force as he could muster.   
“Purugly, get up and show him who’s boss!” The commander ordered.   
Purugly quickly retaliated with another Slash, sending Munchlax into a desk, and leaving three claw marks on his belly.   
Barry narrowed his eyes at the red-haired commander, however, Dawn was far more furious. How dare this person hurt her Stunky like that? “Munchlax, use Brick Break!” Barry ordered.   
Before he could even build the attack, the commander ordered for Purugly to use Slash. Munchlax was lucky that both his skin and fur were thick so it allowed for minimal damage. Just as she was about to go in for another Slash attack, a bright ball of energy collided into her side, knocking her into the wall. The attack was quickly followed by another.   
Looking over, the trainers saw that Numel was standing atop the desk, his eyes glaring. The berry had restored his health just enough to where he felt like he was able to fight for awhile.   
Purugly struggled to stand.   
“Forget it, Mars! We’ve got what we need. Quit embarrassing yourself in front of these children,” an older voice grumbled.   
At the voice, Commander Mars turned around with a very angered expression. She narrowed her eyes at the old man. “Oh, shut the hell up, Charon. I didn’t ask for your input,” she hissed.   
He simply shrugged. “Like I said, we’re done here. Let’s leave before you make an even bigger fool out of yourself,” he said in a chuckle.   
Gritting her teeth, Mars admitted her defeat. She then darted her eyes over to the two trainers, and looked down at Dawn, who was scooping up Stunky in her arms. “You haven’t seen the last of us,” she warned. She then grabbed two things from her pocket. One was a communicator and the other was a purple pellet. “Team Galactic, back to headquarters!” She yelled before throwing the pellet on the ground.   
A thick smoke started to fill the room upon the pellet making contact with the ground. Dawn and Barry began to cough and their eyes started to water.   
Downstairs the same thing happened, but luckily Lucas had Staravia with him to use Defog. He then sent her upstairs to make sure that Dawn and Barry were okay. “Bib!” Bibarel called over to Lucas.   
Lucas smiled at the Pokémon. “Thanks for your help!”   
They then headed upstairs. While Lucas and Dawn worked on bandaging Stunky up Barry and Munchlax started looking for the missing workers. They were found locked up in a back room. The trainers received numerous amounts of praise from the workers.   
While they had to hang around the windworks so they could help with the police report, Numel started developing a bond with Lucas. He couldn’t tell if it was just due to him seeing that he was a good trainer, or the fact that he had fed him. Either way, Numel was completely willing to be caught by Lucas.   
When the police told the three that they were free to leave they headed back to Floaroma Town to give their Pokémon some proper healing, and to let Dawn change out of her blood coated shirt.   
Dawn and Lucas were sitting in the Pokémon Center’s main room, waiting for Stunky. “She’s going to be fine, don’t worry,” Lucas assured.   
A forced smile appeared on Dawn’s face. Though she wouldn’t show it, she was more angry than worried. There was no way she would ever let Team Galactic do that ever again. “I hope so,” she mumbled, moving her eyes back towards the patient door.   
“So,” Barry said once he returned from his room. “Where are you two headed to next?” He asked, stretching his arms.   
“Eterna City,” Lucas answered. “What about you?”   
Barry shrugged. “I’m probably gonna stick around here for a bit. I need to train some more,” he answered. “Oh, and if you two are thinking of going through the Eterna Forest, you better pack a ton of antidotes. The poison Pokémon are out in forces this time of year,” he added.   
Lucas nodded, making a mental note to stop by the Pokémart before they left town. 

 

Heavy breathing and footsteps filled the air. “Keep running!” A voice yelled.   
Dawn and Lucas ran their way through the Eterna forest, not far behind them a swarm of angered Beedrill. Dawn carried a heavily poisoned Monferno in her arms, struggling with his weight. Lucas held Riolu in his right arm since she too was poisoned.   
Barry had been right: the poison Pokémon were out in forces. Everywhere they turned a poison type Pokémon was waiting, and they always seemed agitated. Their Pokémon kept getting poisoned left and right, and now they were out of medicine. Now they were being chased by a swarm of Beedrill and were practically out of Pokémon.   
Monferno struggled in Dawn’s arms. He hated that he felt powerless to help his trainer. With as much strength as he could gather, he hopped out of Dawn’s arms and started using Ember and Mach Punch, trying his hardest to protect them. “Monferno!” Dawn yelled, trying to get back to him. Lucas grabbed her arm to stop her.   
Riolu too decided to join Monferno, giving her last bit of strength to help her trainer. The Beedrill got in a few hits, but quickly retreated.   
Monferno fell to the ground, panting. His movements had amplified the effect of the poison coursing through his veins, and it was getting to where he couldn’t handle it anymore.   
Dawn hurried over to him, dropping on her knees. She lifted him up a bit and mumbled an apology before returning him to his poké ball. Lucas did the same with Riolu and then kneeled down beside Dawn. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault. I should have brought even more antidote,” he apologized, placing his hand on her shoulder.   
“What do we do now?” Dawn asked, her eyes wide with fear. Adrenalin still ran throughout her body, leaving her with a slight tremble.   
Lucas looked around. All seemed calm for the moment, but it had seemed that way before they ran into the Beedrill. “I…I don’t know,” he mumbled. The two stood up and embraced one another, thankful that they were at least safe. Feeling her shaking, Lucas softly pet her hair, trying his best to calm her down.   
A low growl caught their attention.   
On the other side of the line of trees was a small river. That river was claimed by a feral Floatzel. He didn’t appreciate the fact that more humans were trespassing on his territory.   
Lucas wrapped his arms around Dawn even tighter, trying to put up some sort of defense for her. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she gripped his shirt.   
Floatzel came running out of the bushes, his fangs coated in ice.   
“Chansey, Double Slap!”   
A pink Pokémon appeared in a bright light in front of Dawn and Lucas, and she slapped the water Pokémon multiple times. Floatzel decided against picking a fight with them, and ran back towards his river.   
“It’s okay, you’re safe now,” a female voice said.   
Releasing one another from their embrace, Dawn and Lucas looked over at their savior. The sun had chosen just the right moment to peek through the tree canopy and shine down on the female. She had long, flowing green hair, soft green eyes, and a gentle face. “My name is Cheryl. Allow me to help you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and the ending part of being chased around the Eterna Forest by a bunch of poison type was somewhat inspired by [this video](http://youtu.be/WvdK-I8_kTo)
> 
> It wasn't in the original, but I wanted it, plus I wanted to give Cheryl a moment in my fic.   
> /why because i can 
> 
> also  
> the chapter's title is a reference to a piece i played in 6th grade band?   
> it was called Galactic Conflict and u can listen to it [here](http://www.fjhmusic.com/band/b1181.htm)


	6. Eterna City Gym: Passionate Battle

A Platinum Journey 

Chapter Six 

Eterna City Gym:   
Passionate Battle 

 

It had taken nearly three days to successfully make it out of the seemingly endless forest. Luckily, with the assistance of their new friend, Cheryl, Dawn and Lucas had managed to make it out unscathed.   
Cheryl’s arrival had been perfectly timed, and without her the two wouldn’t have made it out alive. In their time together, she even taught them necessary survival skills that they would need later in their travels. These skills were simple things like what berries could be found where, their uses, and things among that nature.   
Once they arrived at Eterna City, Cheryl went her separate way, saying she had business to attend to. They each wish one another the best of luck, and hoped to see each other again soon. 

 

Letting out a long sigh, Dawn proceeded to let herself fall backwards onto the bed behind her. “I never thought a cheap, Pokémon Center bed would be this comfortable,” she said, half to herself.   
Lucas smiled and gave a short, dry laugh. “Please, go on about how comfortable the bed is,” he replied from his pallet on the floor.   
“Under normal circumstances, I would probably feel bad. I mean, you always take the floor when there isn’t another bed,” she mumbled, her eyes already feeling heavy with sleep.   
“Eh, all things considered, this is a luxury compared to the forest floor,” he assured. When he received no answer, he sat up and saw that Dawn had already fallen asleep. He stifled a laugh.   
It was hardly late into the night, but she had been practically asleep on her feet as soon as they arrived to the city. She hadn’t even changed into pajamas, but he could hardly blame her.   
Standing up, he grabbed one of his extra blankets and covered her up to her shoulders.   
“Sleep well,” he whispered while he walked away to get changed.   
Throughout the time they had spent in the forest, Dawn would have constant nightmares. Usually they were about bug Pokémon, but the night they spent near the Old Chateau her nightmares made no sense. She said that the dreams were really broken, and she didn’t seem to remember much aside from images of a strange dragon Pokémon and being terrified.   
Cheryl had said that numerous ghost Pokémon were rumored to haunt the chateau, and it was possible that they were the reasoning behind the nightmares.   
Whatever was happening, Lucas hated seeing her so miserable because of sleep deprivation. If should could get at least one night of restful sleep it would certainly make him happy.   
Apart from that, some good did come out of traveling through the forest. Their Pokémon grew stronger, and through the many battles they faced, Dawn’s Stunky and Lucas’s Numel seemed to develop a close bond. The two Pokémon loved to battle with one another, and Stunky always seemed to be working towards paying back Numel for rescuing her.   
Lucas found it interesting how close their Pokémon had grown, but then he would always remember that he and Dawn had grown close in a short amount of time. 

 

Watching the television with bored eyes, Lucas waited for Dawn to meet him in the lobby. The current program was highlighting the challenges from the past week with the elite four.   
Strolling up to her friend, her arms wide in a stretch and her voice still showing signs of weariness, she asked, “So, who’s the new champion this week?”   
Lucas laughed at her comment. “Seriously,” he replied.   
She took her spot next to him, watching as the Alakazam on the screen knocked out a Gyarados.   
“I think we’ve actually had a solid champion for over a month now, actually,” Lucas said, making idle conversation.   
For the past few months, the champion position had been constantly being rewarded to a new person. It was generally due to good luck on the opponents’ side, or simple rules being broken by the champion.   
A month ago the elite four had gotten together to completely revise the rules of the Sinnoh League.   
“No clue who it is, though. I stopped paying attention a long time ago,” Lucas continued.   
Dawn gave a muffled laugh, turning now to face her friend. “So, I was thinking: the next big city after here is Hearthome City. There’s going to be a ton of contests then, so maybe we both should enter?” She offered.   
Now looking at her, Lucas gave her a perplexed look. “I thought you weren’t into contests?” He asked.   
She shrugged. “Maybe it’s the ‘Berlitz’ in me talking, but I thought of this really great double appeal, and I know there are double contests weekly in Hearthome. If not there, then I know Veilstone City specializes in double contests.”   
Smiling, he said, “Sounds like a great idea! But, first, let’s worry about your gym challenge. I’m figuring you may want to use Numel since this will be a grass type gym.” 

 

“In order to reach the gym leader you must navigate your way through the greenhouse’s maze. Since this is a community greenhouse, you’ll be facing against the trainers that are also in here,” the gym manager quickly explained.   
Dawn gave him a solid nod and tried her hardest to make sure he didn’t see how nervous the idea made her.   
The gym was a large greenhouse, but it was large enough to look like a small forest. It wasn’t dimly lit like the Eterna Forest, but it brought back memories of that horrible experience. The last thing she wanted was to go through that again.   
Lucas kept close to her. It was very apparent by the way she held herself that the greenhouse intimidated her. He would never admit it aloud, but it intimidated him too.   
Even though the gym’s specialty was grass type, there were a lot of bug types in the building as well.   
The low buzz of Beedrill filled the air, and this kept Dawn on complete edge.   
“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” the voice of a female said.   
Looking to their left, the two trainers saw a female sitting atop a boulder, smiling at them. She wore the outfit of a Pokémon Breeder, though, hers was more similar to Hoenn Breeders.   
Dawn gave a nervous smile. “The Eterna Forest didn’t treat us well when it came to bug Pokémon,” she admitted.   
The blonde girl nodded in understanding. “Ah. You couldn’t have picked a worse time to travel through the forest. The bug Pokémon are nothing but agitated this time of year,” she said.   
Dawn nodded.   
“Anyways! I assume you’re here for the gym leader. Well, to get to her, you’ll have to battle me and a few others first!” The girl challenged, standing up on her rock. She then tossed a poké ball into the air. Once the ball opened a flurry of pink petals swirled around, revealing a Roselia.   
Dawn decided to start the battle using Numel. The opposing trainer’s eyes immediately lit up. After explaining that she was originally from Hoenn they began their battle.   
Having been prepared prior, Numel listened to Dawn’s every order, and dominated the battle.   
After their battle, the trainer gave them some parting advice on where to find the next trainer. “Check in the tall tree section, but be careful! The trainer there is sure to give a good bite!”   
With her words in mind, they headed in the direction of where the tallest trees seemed to be growing. There, they found a male trainer with a Leafeon.   
Dawn swore that she had seen the male at the Floaroma Town Contest, competing with an Arcanine, but he swore up and down that he wasn’t there. Dawn still wasn’t convinced.   
Stunky sealed this battle, and after a few other battles, they reached the final trainer. After beating her, the girl stepped aside and allowed them access to the hallway that would take them to the main battlefield.   
The hallway finally opened up to a large battlefield. It was mostly grass, though, a few shrubs and trees were scattered throughout the field.   
Standing in the middle of the field were two females.   
“Welcome!” The taller female with orange and black hair greeted. “My name is Gardenia and I’m the gym leader here.”   
Dawn smiled and nodded. “My name’s Dawn, and this is my friend, Lucas,” she quickly introduced.   
The gym leader acknowledged her words before turning to the female beside her. They shared a few words then faced Dawn again. “This is Selene. She’s here on gym related matters, but is willing to be our referee for now,” Gardenia spoke.   
Dawn thought this was strange. Roark hadn’t used a referee in his gym. Nonetheless, she agreed.   
“The rules to this gym are simple,” Selene began, watching at the two trainers took their spot on the field. “You both are to have your three Pokémon waiting outside their poké balls on the sidelines. The gym leader will be allowed no substitutions, but the trainer will be allowed to swap out as they please.”   
As the two trainers released their team of three, Lucas took his spot on the bench behind Dawn’s side of the field. Just by looking at Gardenia’s team of Grotle, Roserade, and Cherrim, it looked as though Dawn would have the upper hand. Though, he knew, like Roark, she would have a way to counter her weaknesses.  
“I’ll start with Grotle,” Gardenia said.   
The large grass Pokémon took his time walking to the field. He began to snort once he reached his spot that was void of grass.   
Choosing Numel as her start, the two Pokémon silently glared at one another.   
Gardenia wasn’t surprised by Dawn’s choice. She had figured she would choose either Monferno or Numel. “I’ll allow you to have the first move,” she announced.   
Dawn smiled. She already learned this tactic from Roark. Sure, it seemed like Gardenia was being courteous, but she was actually just trying to get a feel for the opponent’s strategy. Knowing this, Dawn decided to go with an approach that would make is appear as though she had no clue what she was doing.   
“Okay, Numel, use Scary Face!” Dawn ordered.   
Numel narrowed his now glowing eyes at Grotle. The already sluggish Pokémon’s speed fell, which confused Gardenia. Surly Dawn knew that Grotle was already very slow. “Use Razor Leaf,” Gardenia called in an unsure tone.   
The bushes on Grotle’s back began to glow and a rush of razor sharp leaves was sent at Numel.   
Numel took the attack with ease. Standing proudly, he awaited Dawn’s next order. “Give a nice, big Yawn, Numel!” She directed.   
Craning his neck, Numel proceeded to let out a tremendous yawn.   
Grotle fought the urge to yawn as well, but his eyelids grew heavy, his limbs grew weak, and his yawn was inevitable.   
Gardenia knew she was in a bind. Sure, she didn’t understand Dawn’s battling methods, but she wasn’t about to believe that Dawn wasn’t just trying to fool her. “Use Grass Knot!” She instructed.   
Grotle then looked down to the patch of grass by Numel’s feet. His eyes took on a green hue and the patch of grass began to rapidly grow, causing Numel to trip. With the fire Pokémon flat on the ground, Gardenia called for another Grass Knot before Grotle could fall asleep.   
“Grrr,” The grass Pokémon grunted as he struggled to use his attack. Fortunately for him, he was successful, and even managed to trap Numel’s mouth against the ground. With that, Grotle curled up and fell asleep. Gardenia felt more relieved now that Numel was trapped.   
The tables had begun to turn, and now Dawn was in a bind. “Use Heat Wave!” Dawn desperately ordered.   
Numel wiggled around, but was unable to use his attack.   
“Come on, Grotle! Wake up!” Gardenia encouraged, hoping the grass Pokémon would soon wake up. If he woke up soon enough, she could completely turn the tables on Dawn.   
An idea struck Dawn as she continued to watch Numel desperately try to wiggle free from Grass Knot. There wasn’t enough space for his mouth to successfully launch an attack, however, he did have one attack that could potentially make some space. “Try Ancientpower!”   
Numel stopped wriggling and spat out a powerful ball of energy. The attack caused slight recoil, but in doing so, he was freed from Grass Knot. Kicking up some dust, he signaled Dawn that he was ready for an order.   
Not wanting to waste time, Dawn immediately called for Heat Wave.   
Drawing in a deep breath, Numel then gave a powerful exhale, sending waves of flame at the still sleeping Grotle.   
The burning sensation covering his whole body awoke Grotle, but now he was in a delirious, agonizing daze.   
Seeing the blackened leaves on Grotle’s back left a sick feeling in Dawn’s stomach. “Use Ancientpower!” Dawn ordered, not wanting to burn the grass Pokémon any further.   
“Grotle, Withdraw!” Gardenia frantically called.   
Still in a world of pain and confusion, Grotle could only grumble before the attack collided with his head.   
Numel’s eyes briefly held a red glow. This signaled to Dawn that the attack’s secondary effect had worked.   
Gardenia knew she was in a pinch. Grotle wasn’t going to last much longer, but neither of them were going to go down without a fight. “Alright, Grotle, I know you’re tired, but you need to give one last Energy Ball!” The gym leader encouraged.   
Hunkering down, a green aura surrounded the grass Pokémon. He held a new look of determination in his eyes. He was going to give it all for his trainer. Despite all the pain he was currently in, he opened his mouth and began to build a powerful Energy Ball.   
Seeing his Overgrow ability, Dawn knew she had to act fast. “Ancientpower, again!”   
With his now slightly boosted speed, Numel build up his attack fast enough to counter Grotle’s.   
The two balls of energy collided right at Grotle’s mouth. The grass Pokémon was forced to swallow his own attack then was knocked out by the other attack.   
Gardenia watched in horror as Grotle fell to the ground, and then saw in the distance a slight red glow from Numel. His stats were now doubled, and she had to be crafty with her next choice.   
“Grotle is unable to battle. Numel wins!” Selene called, looking to Dawn’s side of the field.   
“Awesome, Numel!” Dawn cheered, her other two Pokémon also cheering for their friend.   
Lucas cheered from his spot, feeling pride in his Pokémon. Watching as Gardenia recalled her Grotle, he decided that he was making the right choice in holding off Turtwig’s evolution. Grotle was just too sluggish for his liking.   
Gardenia looked back to her other Pokémon. Her Roserade looked like she was ready for battle, but Cherrim knew a certain move that could put Numel out of commission.   
“Cherrim, let’s go!” She decided.   
The flower Pokémon toddled onto the field, constantly swaying around.   
Knowing that Numel currently had good status boosts, and type advantage, Dawn felt pretty good about the situation. “Let’s finish this quickly, Numel–”  
“Attract!” Gardenia interrupted with a smirk.   
Cherrim gave a gleeful call while rushing over to Numel. She then lifted her petals slightly and gave Numel a big kiss.   
Numel’s eyes grew wide and a bright blush overtook his cheeks. He then began to nervously twiddle his legs around, and took shy glances at the grass Pokémon standing in front of his.   
“Heat Wave, Numel!” Dawn called.   
Numel only continued his nervous behavior, refusing to harm Cherrim.   
Hearing some hissing, Dawn looked down to see Stunky at her side. The little skunk Pokémon was furiously hissing at the grass Pokémon, and was trying to tell Dawn that she wanted to battle.   
How dare some pretty little grass Pokémon try to steal Numel’s affection from her?   
“Cherrim, Rollout!”   
Curling herself up, Cherrim rolled away then ran full-force into Numel.   
Numel could only take the attack head on. He also felt strangely impressed by Cherrim’s power.   
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Dawn called for Numel to return to her side.   
Numel walked back begrudgingly, constantly looking over his shoulder.   
Not wanting to see another moment of this, Stunky raced onto the field without Dawn’s order. She barred her little fangs at the grass Pokémon, and continued hissing.   
Gardenia hardly saw the little Pokémon as a threat. “Cherrim, continue with Rollout,” she calmly directed.   
“Do your best to keep out of the way, but when you can, use Night Slash!” Dawn ordered.   
Stunky gave a curt nod, and began to zigzag around the field. In her attempts to keep up with Stunky, Cherrim only ended up wearing herself out. The second she stopped to catch her breath she was met by the sharp claws of Stunky. The one hit was enough to completely knock her out.   
Stunky then spat some curses at the fallen grass Pokémon, but to everyone else it just sounded like angry hisses. What she didn’t expect was Numel to come shove her out of the way to check on Cherrim.   
“Numel! Get back here!” Dawn shouted.   
Selene quietly said that Cherrim was unable to battle, but was more focused on the now arguing Stunky and Numel.   
Not wanting to cause more of a scene, Dawn immediately recalled Numel into his poké ball. She gave an embarrassed look at Gardenia. “I hope you’ll forgive me for breaking that rule!” She said.   
Gardenia nodded, feeling slightly bad. “Understandable, but we must continue,” she said, nodding for Roserade to take the field.   
Roserade began to size up her opponent. Size wise, she didn’t feel threatened. However, the little Pokémon was exerting enough anger for a Pokémon ten times her size.   
“Start off with Smokescreen,” Dawn ordered.   
Stunky released a thick smoke, rendering the visibility to only a few feet. Looking around frantically, she tried to force herself calm. The smoke absorbed most of the outside sound, resulting in her only hearing the constant patter of Stunky’s claws on the ground. She tried to pinpoint the location, but the sound reverberated all around her.   
“Fury Swipes!”   
Stunky appeared out of the smoke, her claws glowing brightly. She began to furiously slash at Roserade, landing a critical hit every time.   
The smoke then began to clear, revealing a fainted Roserade, and a still furious Stunky.   
The victory didn’t settle well with Dawn. It almost didn’t feel fair.   
“Roserade is unable to battle. The victory goes to Dawn!” Selene announced. Everyone did their cheering, but Dawn couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. She was quick to take her badge, and take her leave. Lucas tried to comfort her, but it would take some time for her to get back to normal.   
Once Dawn and Lucas were out of the building, Gardenia was quick to shut down the entire gym. “You were right,” she admitted aloud, starting to tend to her Pokémon’s injuries.   
The green haired girl kept her distance. “I’m well aware. Do you believe me now?” She calmly asked.   
The gym leader continued to focus on her Pokémon. “I’m not sure. It doesn’t sound believable.”   
“That’s what the others have said. Believe me when I say bad things are unfolding, and Team Galactic is at the center of it,” she argued.   
Gardenia only shrugged. “Your claim is baseless! They’ve done nothing wrong. Sure, they build weird buildings and have a strange uniform, but they’ve done nothing but pour money into the economy. If anything, they’re the good guys. So what if you predicted that Dawn would destroy me in this battle? It means nothing. You’re wrong,” she said, trying to end the conversation.   
Selene found herself growing more and more irritated with the gym leader. She clenched her fists, and took a breath before continuing. “Xatu said you would be my biggest challenge. Gardevoir said you would be my biggest adversary. I’m still not sure who to believe,” she said, beginning to walk away.   
Gardenia turned to dismiss Selene, but she was already gone. Rolling her eyes, she tried to ignore her words. “Who does she think she is?” She angrily grumbled.   
Roserade looked up at her.   
“Thinking she can come in here with her stupid Xatu outfit and tell me about the future,” she said, not paying attention to how tight she was wrapping Roserade’s bandages. “Stupid psychic trainers!”   
“Rose!” Roserade yelled, flinching away.   
Gardenia quickly apologized, fixing the bandage. She tried to tell herself that Selene hadn’t gotten to her, but the girl’s words were embedded in her mind. 

 

The next day rolled around fast for Dawn. She still felt shaken by Stunky’s behavior, but was able to place it out of mind. Her and Lucas were currently at the marketplace. The large Team Galactic building was looming overhead, but Dawn tried not to let it get to her.   
Currently, she was allowing Monferno to pick out some berries for their upcoming trip. The vendor was even kind enough to allow Monferno to sample some of the berries before making his decision. Once he decided upon some razz berries, Dawn purchased a few of those, and went to meet up with Lucas.   
While walking, Dawn realized that Monferno was no longer at her side. Looking back, she saw that Monferno was intently staring up at the Galactic building. He then screeched and took off in the building’s direction.   
Dawn was quick to follow. She tried recalling him, but he refused to return to his poké ball. She passed Lucas, who after frantically paying for his items, began to follow. He finally caught up with them at the building’s entrance. Monferno and Dawn were both breathing heavily, but Monferno was still angry.   
“Monferno, what’s wrong?” Dawn asked, her breath catching up with her.   
He gave a few growls as he pointed to one of the windows on the fourth floor. Looking up, the two trainers saw nothing at first. After a few seconds they saw a person get slammed against the window. They both gasped, and knew they had to do something.   
Upon entering the building, they found that the lobby was completely empty. Voices could be heard the next floor up. With their past experience with Team Galactic, they both felt it was best to be over prepared.   
Dawn released Stunky and Bibarel, while Lucas released Turtwig and Riolu. Lucas had Riolu sense what was in the floors above them. She confirmed that it was nothing but Team Galactic members.   
There presence was far from unnoticed, however. On the fourth floor, one of the commanders was interrogating a “client” when she was alerted of their presence. “Allow Croagunk to negotiate this deal for me,” the purple haired lady said, walking over to some computer screens.   
The second her eyes landed on the computer screen, she busted out laughing. “Oh, Mars is going to love this,” she chuckled. She then turned back on her client. “Croagunk, Poison Jab,” she said, her tone now annoyed. This mission was taking far too long for her liking.   
The little frog jabbed the tied up man in the stomach, forcing him to double over. “A-Alright, I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” He said, breathlessly.   
The commander smiled wickedly. “Finally!” She said, full of exasperation.   
“The first tablet on the statue read, ‘The creation of Dialga, the giver of time. In laughter, there is tears. And, likewise it is with time. The same time flows on. For it is the blessing of Dialga’.”   
The commander looked back expectantly. “And the next?” She asked, eyeing Croagunk again.   
The frog Pokémon’s hand began to glow purple, but he refrained from striking.   
“The second tablet read, ‘The birth of Palkia. The creator of parallel dimensions. Alive, yet not alive. Everything drifts in space. To arrive in the same universe. It is the blessing of Palkia.’ I’m not sure about the third. That one was destroyed centuries ago,” he finished.   
The commander hummed, lost in thought. This ended up being pointless. They would need both Pokémon spoken in the legend for their task. “I’ll let you live. For now, that is. However, I can’t have you blabbing to the public about our little meeting today. You’ll be coming back with us,”   
“Not if we have anything to say about it!”   
Looking towards the entrance, the commander saw her guests. “Well, color me impressed. You beat all my grunts in record time. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jupiter, and I’m second in command. I commend you for your effort, but it stops here.”   
Jupiter began to fiddle with a poké ball in her fingers, waiting to see what they would do.   
Dawn took a step forward. “It’s going to take more than just a few words to stop us,” she said, everyone else nodding in agreement.   
Jupiter rolled her eyes. “Something told me you’d say that. Croagunk, join Skuntank, will you?” She said, tossing her poké ball into the air.   
The Pokémon that appeared landed with a tremendous thud, and let out a high-pitched hiss. A horrendous stench filled the air, making everyone wrinkle their nose in disgust. “Flamethrower, Skuntank. Croagunk, go wild with Poison Jabs,” she ordered.   
The flames were within inches of the man’s head, and while everyone was busy dodging the onslaught of attacks, Lucas had Riolu assist the man.   
Jupiter constantly ordered on onslaught of Slashes from Skuntank, and the poison Pokémon was quickly reducing the team’s numbers.   
Just when Dawn thought they were getting ahead, Croagunk would reappear and remind them that their situation was growing hopeless. Half of their team had fainted, while the other half was now poisoned.   
While waiting for his turn, Croagunk got another idea: attack the humans. He decided his first target would be the girl. Wanting precision, he decided to switch over to Bullet Punch.   
Monferno saw right through his plan. With just enough time, he pushed Dawn to the ground, taking the hit for her.   
“Alright, play time is over,” Jupiter decided, realizing that the numbers were once again in her favor. “Skuntank, pin the male, I’ve got the girl.”   
Skuntank tackled Lucas, her weight being more than enough to keep him pinned to the ground.   
Walking over to Dawn, Jupiter laughed at her Stunky, who was still trying to put up a fight. When Stunky tried to attack her, she merely kicked the skunk to the side. Dawn tried to get to her Pokémon, but Jupiter pushed her back with her foot. She then placed that foot over Stunky. “Listen here, I can see the fear in your eyes,” she began, looking Dawn dead in the eye.   
“The world is a dark, cruel place, little girl. You need to get used to it,” applying some pressure to Stunky. When Dawn tried to again reach for Stunky, Jupiter kicked her in the chest, sending her away. “Ah-ah-ah! I’m not done talking, missy. You better listen, or else it will be worse for poor little Stunky here.” She waited to have Dawn’s full attention. “You’ve caused enough trouble for Mars, and now I’m left to pick up the mess…”  
While she was talking, she failed to notice the little pellets that had rolled towards them. Dawn noticed. She realized that they looked like the shells of the smoke pellets Mars used. Just in time for her to cover her mouth, the pellets exploded, causing a thick smoke to fill the air.   
“Shit!” Jupiter yelled, now stuck in a coughing fit.   
“Croagunk, Bullet Punch!”   
A Croagunk appeared out of the smoke, and jabbed Jupiter right in the gut. She struggled to breath, but began to clutch the communicator on her wrist. “Co- co- Z!” She finally spat.   
An Abra appeared at the commander’s side. Before teleporting her and her Pokémon out of the area, she swore to get revenge on Dawn.   
“Poliwhirl, use Hypnosis on everyone!” The voice from earlier called.   
The last thing Dawn saw before blacking out was the silhouette of what looked like a Team Galactic grunt. 

 

They awoke the next morning in a hospital room, neither of them having any recollection of arriving there.   
Lucas asked their nurse as soon as she entered the room. Instead of giving him the answer he actually wanted, she only gave them the status of their injuries, and that the doctor would be with them soon to tell them when they could leave.   
Sitting up, the two trainers faced one another and began to assess the other’s injuries. Out of the two, Lucas has sustained the most physical injuries–no doubt due to Jupiter’s Skuntank. However, Dawn was diagnosed with very mild smoke inhalation. She was lucky that the smoke didn’t damage her lungs any, but it had left her with a low blood count, so she couldn’t be released immediately.   
“Good to see you two awake!” The doctor said as she entered the room. The tall brunette then walked over to a monitor by Lucas’s bed. She began to push a few buttons, watching as it rapidly relayed information.   
“May I ask how we ended up here? The nurse never told us,” Lucas mentioned.   
The doctor nodded, continuing to read the information. “Sure thing! There was a terrible fire at the Galactic Information Center. A man who was also at the scene brought you here. I believe he said that you two were a part of an internship at the building.” She then looked towards the door. “He said he wanted to check on you, and I sent the nurse to go get him, so he should be here momentarily,” she finished.   
She then proceeded to tell Lucas that he would be able to leave that night, but Dawn would need to stay overnight.   
A light knock at the door attracted everyone’s attention, drawing their eyes towards a tall man who was wearing a trench coat.   
“Ah, there you are!” The doctor said cheerfully. She was about to invite him in, but stopped when she saw a nurse walk up next to the man.   
She gave an apologetic look. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Dr. Braxton, but we need your assistance down the hall,” she said nervously.   
The doctor nodded. “Give me just one second,” she dismissed. She told the two that they would be able to get their Pokémon from the Pokémon Center next doors, and then hurried off down the hall.   
The man kept his spot near the door. He had been wearing a kind expression, but as soon as the doctor was well out of sight, his expression turned. “I will get straight to the point,” he said with a heavy Germanic accent. He then peered out the door to make sure nobody was within earshot. Once he was sure that they were alone he finally approached them.   
“You both are surly aware that you were not part of an internship, that you were caught in a battle with Team Galactic, and that there was no initial fire, yes?” He questioned.   
Dawn and Lucas silently nodded.   
“I ask on behalf of the International Police that you keep that information to yourself, and from now on stay out of the Team Galactic affairs. We have got it covered.”   
Lucas gave him a suspicious look. “And your name is…?” He cautiously asked.   
“Looker is my code name,” the man promptly responded. “I will leave you two now. Your hospital charges have been covered, and I trust that you will heed my warning.”  
Once he was gone, an unsettling silence sat in the room. Something in Dawn was telling her to go against the man’s words. She was tired of some outside force always saving them. She wanted to be able to hold her own against the commanders of Team Galactic.   
They sat in uncomfortable silence until a nurse came to get Lucas. She changed his bandages for a final time, and said he could leave at any point. “Just make sure you’re heading out by ten o’clock since that’s when visitor hours are over,” the nurse said in a cheery tone.   
Lucas agreed to the rules. As she left he decided to go sit on the edge of Dawn’s bed.   
“I feel just fine, honestly,” Dawn grumbled, moving her legs to make room for Lucas.   
He chuckled. “It’s all precautionary, you know that,” he told her with a weak smile.   
“Yeah, whatever. Oxygen is only kind of important,” she said, giving her eyes a sarcastic roll.   
Lucas chuckled again, absentmindedly putting his hand out to her. She placed her hand in his. “ Look, I’m just glad you’re okay.”   
She smiled at him. “Lucas, you had a Skuntank pinning you down. I’m glad you’re okay.”   
He shook his head as he ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I think we both got pretty lucky.”   
The two of them worked to avoid the subject until Lucas had to leave. All night Dawn had trouble sleeping. Jupiter’s words were stuck in her head. She was going to go against Looker’s order. With or without Lucas. All she wanted to was to be able to beat Team Galactic, and get revenge on them.


	7. Mother Dearest

A Platinum Journey 

Chapter Seven 

Mother Dearest 

 

After finally checking Dawn out of the hospital, the duo was quick to hit the road.   
In the week it took them to arrive in Hearthome City, Dawn spent most of that time training her Pokémon. Occasionally, she would work with Lucas on their double appeal, but for the most part, she focused on her training.   
Lucas had noticed, but he decided to dismiss this as her wanting to be prepared for the Hearthome City Gym.   
As the two drew closer to the city’s heart, the atmosphere that surrounded Dawn gradually changed. Soon enough, she felt like a completely different person than she had been in the past week. Memories of coming here with her mother when she was younger gave her a strong sense of nostalgia.   
“I can’t remember. Have you been here before?” Dawn asked, a smile on her face as she took in everything in her surroundings.   
“Briefly, when I was younger. I hardly remember it, though,” he answered.   
Dawn then gave her attention to him. “I have to show you the contest hall then! The one in Floaroma Town is nothing in comparison to this!” She said, full of excitement.   
Finding her excitement contagious, Lucas agreed.   
Dawn then decided to act like a tour guide, pointing out things that had and hadn’t changed since her last visit. Being such a busy city, a lot had changed. Though, enough landmarks remained the same to allow Dawn to make it to the contest hall in no time.   
Staring at the tall building in front of her, Dawn could barely contain her excitement. Entering the building, urgency filled the air as coordinators and their Pokémon hurried throughout the building. Multiple monitors were displaying different contest appeals.   
Lucas stood there, mesmerized by it all. “Should have come here sooner,” he mumbled to himself, taking interest in the appeal a Lucario was making.   
He was then forcefully tugged to the side by Dawn. He stumbled a bit as he tried to keep up with her pace, but she paid no mind. “Here’s a map to the entire hall,” she said, motioning her free hand to the large picture on the wall.   
She then began to explain the entire layout to Lucas. He was half tempted to be a smart-ass and tell her he knew how to read a map, but seeing her talking so passionately about this made him think better of it.   
The contest hall was divided up into six main rooms. The one they were currently in was the Main Hall. Then there were five other arenas. The center, and largest, was for beauty contests. Then, clockwise on the map were contest arenas of toughness, cuteness, smartness, and coolness.   
“I forgot that double contests are only featured on Fridays, so we’ll have to stay here for a few days, but there is plenty to do, I assure you,” she concluded.   
Lucas chuckled. “Thank you for the tour, Miss Berlitz. How much do I owe you?” He jokingly asked.   
Dawn giggled and shoved him a bit with her arm that was still around his. “Maybe lunch. It’s negotiable.”   
Before Lucas could reply, a voice that didn’t belong to him interrupted. “How about I treat you both to lunch instead?”   
Turning around, Dawn raced immediately raced into the arms of the woman who had spoken. “Mom!” She shouted.   
Lucas kept a friendly smile on as he approached her. “It’s nice to see you, Mrs. Berlitz,” he said with a smile.   
She smiled at him as Dawn pulled away from her. “It’s good to see you as well. I’m glad you’re both doing so well.” She beamed.   
Dawn had so many questions she wanted to ask, and a list equally long that she hoped to avoid from her mother. “What are you doing here?” She asked.   
Her mother shrugged. “A friend of mine who judges the cute contests invited me up for the week, and I even get to do some judging!” She informed. Dawn proceeded to continue asking her some questions, hoping to keep her mother from asking about her contest endeavors.   
Lucas stood silently, though, he was well aware that Dawn was avoiding certain topics.   
Luck wasn’t in her favor. “Enough about me, Dawn! I want to know what you two have been up to! How are your contests fairing?” Her mother excitedly asked.   
Shrugging, Dawn gave her a nervous smile. “Oh you know…going,” she mumbled.   
Noticing the change in her demeanor, her mother knew something was up. “Let me guess, you haven’t won any? That’s okay, you know. I lost my first five contests, remember?” She ventured.   
“Yeah…Lucas has a ribbon, though!” Dawn mentioned, hoping to change the subject.   
Her mother smiled at Lucas. “Very impressive! Was that your first contest?”   
He nodded. “Yes, actually. Dawn is an excellent teacher,” he praised, earning a nervous blush from Dawn.   
“More interested in helping your friend than yourself, huh?” Her mother asked jokingly. Then she added, “let me see your team and maybe I can give you some guidance.”   
Dawn’s eyes grew wider. “Oh, that’s okay, mom! You don–”  
“Oh, hush, dear! Just show me your team!”   
Swallowing, Dawn retrieved her three poké balls, and released her Pokémon. They all gave gleeful calls, but stopped short, mesmerized by the hall around them.   
Observing the Pokémon in front of her, Dawn’s mother nodded. “Interesting choices,” she said, now looking back at Dawn. “I’m assuming you’re concentrating on tough appeals at the moment?”   
Dawn gave a slow nod, putting her hand nervously to her neck. “Y-yeah. I just haven’t found any good, uh, beauty appeal Pokémon yet,”   
That’s when her mother noticed the way her Pokémon were behaving. Normally, Pokémon who had been entered in contests were a little mesmerized by the hall. However, Dawn’s Pokémon looked as though they had never been in a contest hall altogether. Slowly, she began to piece things together, and she didn’t like what she was figuring out.   
She then stopped Dawn mid-sentence. “Dawn…you have been entering contests…right?” She asked, eyeing her suspiciously.   
Dawn quickly nodded. “Of course!” She lied.   
Seeing the direction this was heading in, he did his best to change it. “Lunch rush is about to hit so it might be best if we,” but her mother stopped him.   
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Lucas, but please give us a moment. Dawn recall your Pokémon and come with me.”   
Dawn did as she said, her stomach doing flips as she walked away from Lucas. She shot him one last look that screamed, “Help me.” He could only give her an apologetic look.   
Now a good distance from Lucas, her mother began to interrogate her. “Exactly what contests have you entered?” She asked.   
Dawn barely managed to spit out, “Floaroma Town’s contest!”   
“And who did you enter? They only specialize in beauty contests?” She continued to hound Dawn with other questions. Finally, she came to the conclusion she dreaded most. “Dawn,” she said, placing her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “You’re not competing in gym battles…have you?” She timidly asked.   
Looking down, Dawn sighed, and decided to stop lying. It was only making things worse, and the truth was bound to come out sooner or later. “I…have been,” she mumbled.   
Her mother retracted her hands, and now looked at her daughter as if she had sprouted another head. “How could you?” She asked, her tone disgusted.   
Dawn looked up, her eyes showing fear. “I just…don’t like contests all that much.”   
“You don’t what? Dawn, both sides of our family are world renowned for our approach to contests! Does that mean nothing to you?” She spat.   
“Of course it means something to me! Just…why do I have to stay with that? Why can’t I be known for my battling abilities?” Dawn dared to ask. Her mother’s eyes went wide, and she stayed silent. This caused Dawn to continue. “Why do I have to be stuck in this rut? What if I don’t want to do what we’ve always done? What about me, mom? What about what I want to do? Doesn’t that matter?”   
Their quarrel had begun to attract some outside attention, and hearing what Dawn said, even Lucas feared for the outcome.   
Her mother’s expression went dark. “That…is exactly what your father said,” she grumbled. Something in these words struck Dawn. “I never thought I would say these words, but here I am proving myself wrong. You’re just like your father!”   
Dawn almost seemed to cower away. “I’m nothing like him!” She yelled back.   
“Oh, yes you are! Just like him, you want to disgrace the family name!” Her mother yelled.   
Dawn shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around her mother’s words. Tears began to well in her eyes. “I’m nothing like dad,” she mumbled.   
“Oh, you are exactly like your father! You trash the family name and–”  
“Stop! Just–stop yelling at me! I’m nothing like dad! Nothing!” She yelled, tears falling down her face. Not bothering to hear any more, Dawn bolted out the door.   
Lucas’s first reaction was to run after her, but he wanted to give her mother a small piece of his mind. He cautiously approached her. She sharply turned towards him, her eyes shooting daggers.   
“Mrs. Berlitz,” he started out, still trying to maintain his gentleman’s air. “I know nothing about Dawn’s father and what kind of person he was. I do know that Dawn is very passionate about what she does. As her mother, I feel as though that should be all that matters to you,” he said, not giving her time to reply. Now, it was time to find Dawn. Releasing Staravia once they were outside, they began their search. 

 

“You’re just like your father!”   
As if the memories alone weren’t enough to torture her. Now, to be compared to that man? It was the worst scenario she could have imagined.   
Her footsteps fell hard on the pavement below as she searched for a quiet place. She needed to be alone, but in such a crowded city, where was there to go?   
She tried to think back to all of her visits to Hearthome City from when she was younger. Most of those visits only included hotels and the contest hall, but one place did stick out in her mind.   
Looking up she saw her destination in the distance.   
Her vision began to cloud as tears threatened to fall, and all she could do was silently curse at herself while she walked.   
After fifteen torturous minutes, she finally reached her destination: the abandoned cathedral. The cathedral was always open to the public, but it was rare to find people there, so it was labeled as abandoned. Wild Pokémon tried to keep the place as maintained as they could in the absence of humans, but cobwebs were thick in every corner, and a layer of dust dimmed the light shining through the stained-glass windows. Pews were overturned, and some broken due to the test of time.   
Walking in, Dawn finally found herself ready to unleash her emotions. She ripped her backpack off and threw it to the ground. “I fucking hate her!” She yelled, her hands trembling.   
Though the air around her was cool, she felt herself growing unbearably warm and tried to rip her scarf from her neck. It refused to come off, making her pull harder. The scarf’s fabric began to rip just as she finally was able to remove it. Looking down at the pink scarf in her hands, Dawn began to attempt to rip it apart.   
At this point, it meant nothing to her. It was a gift from her mother, and right now, she wanted nothing to do with that woman.   
“I’m nothing like him!” She sobbed, sinking to the ground. The sound of the fabric ripping brought her some satisfaction, but it wasn’t enough. Tossing the now torn scarf to the side, Dawn leaned against one of the pews and placed her hands at her head. Tears now streamed down her face and she could hardly keep a steady breath.   
“Why would you say that to me?” She mumbled. She began to rock back and forth ever so slightly, constantly mumbling, “I’m nothing like him”.   
Numerous thoughts were rushing through her mind, but all revolved around what her mother had said. It brought back memories that she had fought to repress, and just when she thought they were gone for good, her mother brought them back.   
Without warning, Dawn stood up and lashed out, hitting her hands against the wooden pews, trying desperately to relieve her frustration.   
“You bitch! Why would you say that?” She yelled as she continued to slam her hands against the pews. Her hands grew more and more raw with each hit against the splintered wood, and it wasn’t long till they started bleeding.   
Seeing the scarlet liquid dripping down her arm only made her angrier with herself. She then flipped one of the pews on it’s side before sinking back down to the ground.   
She then heard the sound of footsteps and someone frantically calling her name, but it hardly registered.   
When the person dropped to her side, she looked up at them through tear-clouded eyes. It was Lucas, and the look of worry in his eyes only made her hurt more. “L-Lucas,” she whimpered. She threw herself at him, hugging him hard, and silently wishing that he could make it all stop.   
He had figured that she would be upset, but he never expected to find her like this. All he could think to do was gently rub her back and let her know that he was there.   
“I fucking hate her,” she sobbed, resting her head on his shoulder.   
Seeing her upset like this hurt Lucas in a way he never thought possible. He wanted to know what happened in her past that caused this strong of a reaction, but now was most definitely not the time to ask. It had to be bad, whatever it was.   
The two sat together in the abandoned cathedral for what felt like hours. Dawn would seem to get better, but then start to cry again. Lucas refused to give up, though. He wanted to do anything in his power to make sure she felt better, and if that entailed sitting with her, rubbing her back and giving her nothing but kind words, then so be it.   
Sniffing and rubbing her eyes, Dawn finally pulled away from Lucas. “I-I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her tone tired.   
Lucas told her that she didn’t need to apologize. As he watched her rub her eyes, he noticed that her hands were coated with dry blood, and it sent a jolt of pain through his chest. He took off his backpack and begun to sift through its contents.   
Dawn watched as he pulled out some gauze bandages and a small bottle of ointment. “Let me see your hands,” he said gently.   
She held out one hand at a time and quietly watched as he went to work, only wincing as he placed ointment on the wound. The question had come to mind of why was he carrying all of this; but she then remembered that a small medical kit was something Cheryl had spoken to them about.   
“Now,” he gently spoke as they began to stand, “let’s go to a Pokémon Center or something and get you really fixed up. My mediocre medical skills aren’t going to cut it.” This lighthearted jab earned the smallest of smiles from Dawn. He grabbed her items that she had discarded and they finally began to leave the cathedral.   
While walking through the city, Dawn kept one arm wrapped around Lucas’s arm, and she didn’t say a word. Her thoughts were still killing her, but she now felt unable to cry anymore.   
The Pokémon Center that was closest to them was unusually quiet. Only a few people were in the main lobby. Dawn preferred it to be this way. The less attention she attracted, the better.   
Nurse Joy stood at her counter, too absorbed in her report to the other centers around the city to notice the two walking in. However, the Blissey standing at her side noticed them, and saw the shape that Dawn was in. Her upset demeanor seemed to be pulsating off of her, and this worried the Happiness Pokémon. She quickly tugged at Nurse Joy’s apron to grab her attention.   
The smile she was going to greet them with quickly disappeared when she saw Dawn. “Oh my!” She said, wide-eyed. Seeing Dawn in so much distress, on top of her being obviously injured, made the nurse immediately suspicious of Lucas.   
Rushing around her desk, she said, “I’m not going to bother with questions, just follow me,” she said, letting Dawn use her as support.   
While walking the injured girl back to one of the rooms, Nurse Joy had one of her assistants take over the center. Once in an isolated room, she had Dawn sit on the examining table and began to attend to her injuries. “What happened?” She gently asked, removing the bandaging Lucas had placed on her.   
Dawn only gave a small mumble of a response. This worried the nurse.   
While cleaning the blood from her arms, she did her best to also study the girl’s body language. She was in shock, that much was obvious, but the reason why wasn’t clear. Once she was finished and placed proper bandages on her, she removed her medical gloves and disposed of them.   
“Now,” she said, turning back to face Dawn. “You’re in a safe-zone. Nobody can hurt you,” she said as gently as possible, kneeling down.   
Dawn shook her head, not wanting to respond.   
“Dear, nobody will hurt you here. Anything you say to me will be completely confidential,” she promised, though it was more or less a lie. If she found that anyone was harming Dawn, she would have to tell the authorities.   
Again, Dawn shook her head.   
“Just please answer this: did that boy out there hurt you at all?” She cautiously asked.   
Dawn quickly shook her head. “No,” she said, just barely above a whisper.   
This response didn’t satisfy the nurse.   
“Thank you for helping me, but I just really want to sleep right now,” Dawn said in a pleading tone.   
Nurse Joy gave her a hard stare before finally nodding. She knew she wasn’t going to get anything out of the girl right now, but she could try again later. “Okay. Let’s get you a room,” she said gently.   
She led Dawn back out to the main lobby, where Lucas was patiently waiting. However, Nurse Joy wasn’t about to let them stay in the same room. It would be for her own mental security, but she would lie to them and say she only had single rooms available, and that they were on opposite ends of the center.   
She gave them their room keys, and monitored them on the security cameras as they left. Dawn and Lucas said a quick goodnight to one another, but she noticed that Lucas seemed rather upset at her quick goodbye.   
In her room, Dawn released her three Pokémon. They all sensed her distress. Dawn sat at the edge of her small bed, and Monferno was the first to approach her. He gave her a sad look, wondering what he could do to help.   
Bibarel then crawled up onto the bed and sat behind her. She laid against him and Monferno and Stunky joined her. Together, they sat in silence while Dawn reflected on everything.   
Seeing the bandages on her hands, Stunky cautiously padded up to her, and gently licked the bandage.   
Dawn gave her a forced smile. “It’s okay, Stunky. I’m going to be alright,” she lied. In truth, she didn’t know when she would feel okay again. She had worked so hard to suppress all those memories, but now it felt as though it had only happened yesterday. 

 

Sitting in his room, Lucas felt himself unnerved by the still silence. Looking down, he realized that he still had Dawn’s torn scarf with him. Picking it up, he looked it over, seeing how much damage she had done to it. There was one large rip in the middle of it, and a few smaller rips.   
He then grabbed his backpack and sat it next to him. Sifting through the bottom of the bag, he came across a very small sewing kit. Luckily, he had a pink thread with him that would work. It was a little more pail than the pink of the scarf, but it would make due. Putting the thread through the needle, he began to fix the scarf.   
His grandmother had taught him how to sew enough to where he could confidently fix any tears that would get in his clothes. It came in handy considering how much fieldwork Professor Rowan had made him do.   
Normally, the skill was just convenient. Now, he was actually pretty happy that he had this skill.   
He knew he probably wouldn’t be able to do much for Dawn in her current state–that only time could heal. But if he could do something as simple as this for her to hopefully make her feel even a little better, he’d be more than happy to do it.   
“I don’t know who your father is, Dawn, but I promise, you’re perfect the way you are,” he mumbled to himself as he finished off the thread to one of the smaller tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah i forgot that i have an AO3 account ha 
> 
> maybe i'll remember to really update here now 
> 
> thank 
> 
>  
> 
> ~Victoria


	8. Earth Song

A Platinum Journey

Chapter Eight

Earth Song 

 

The sound of church bells rang throughout the city, heard miles around, signaling noon. Hearing the bells, Dawn knew it was past time to get moving. She had been up well before the sun, but was only able to motivate herself to shower. Now, back on the bed with her Pokémon, she couldn’t find an ounce of her that wanted to move again. Partially because she was warm thanks to Bibarel’s belly fur, Monferno, and Stunky. The other half was due to the events from yesterday still haunting her.  
A knock at the door distracted her from the bells. Begrudgingly, she got up to answer the door.  
Waiting outside with a small tray of medical supplies was Nurse Joy. “I wanted to make sure you were doing alright, and I also wanted to change your bandages. If that’s alright with you, of course,” she spoke gently.  
Nodding, Dawn stepped aside to let the nurse in. Pulling the desk chair up to the bed, she had Dawn sit down and began her work. “Are you feeling any better?” She asked and she carefully cut away the old bandages. Again, Dawn nodded silently.  
“It’s okay if you aren’t, but I figured I would ask. Are you okay with telling me what happened to you before you got here?” Nurse Joy timidly asked.  
Thinking it over for a minute, Dawn decided that she could try to relay the story without breaking down again.  
The nurse listened patiently as Dawn recounted her story. On the inside, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It sounded unreal. Upon hearing the reasoning behind such a strong reaction, she had to pause her work. The young man who had brought Dawn in told her this morning that she had a falling out with her mother, but she never imagined it to be this severe. _”How could a mother say that to her own child?”_  
Dawn felt bad knowing that she had told the nurse why her mother’s words hurt her so much, but kept Lucas in the dark. Even though she wanted to tell him, she knew she wouldn’t be able to tell the story again without losing it. It was taking every ounce of strength she had to not fall apart once more.  
“You’ve certainly been through a lot,” Nurse Joy began, trying to think of what would be best to say. “I’m here to talk if you would like, and I know any nurse at any of the pokémon centers would be more than willing to talk,” she continued, looking at the girl’s right hand.  
Dawn gave the faintest of smiles. “Thank you for the offer, but I honestly feel like I just want to keep traveling. It will probably take my mind off it all.” That, and staying in the city she had the most memories of her mother with didn’t sound appealing in the least.  
“Well, I’m sure the young man who brought you here would be more than willing to talk as well. He was very worried about you, you know,” she said.  
Looking away from her hands, Dawn finally made eye contact with the nurse.  
“I’ve seen very few people as worried as him. You’re lucky to have such a good friend.”  
Being too worried about Dawn to sleep in, Lucas had been one of the first people in the center awake. While his concern for her was apparent to anyone, he refused to go to her room, figuring she would come out when she was ready.  
Taking in her words, Dawn could only smile. At the sight of an actual smile, her three Pokémon perked up as well. Abruptly, the nurse stood, not having worked on Dawn’s right hand. “How about I show your friend how to properly wrap your bandages? That way I don’t have to keep you here any longer than you want to be?”  
Smiling at the offer, she nodded.  
The nurse waited at the door while Dawn put her Pokémon back into their capsules, and gathered her things. After being taught how to properly wrap her bandages, they were quick to hit the road. The cool, smoggy air bit at Dawn’s cheeks as they walked. She grumbled something about hating how dirty the city was while shrugging on her coat.  
“Oh, by the way,” Lucas mentioned, stopping so he could get something out of his backpack. Kneeling on the ground, he sifted through his bag before pulling out her scarf. Standing up, he presented it to her. “I fixed it for you.”  
Taking the pink fabric from his hands, she examined his work. Other than the slightly mismatched thread and fabric colors, it was perfect. She scrambled to find some way to express her thanks, but found herself at a loss for words.  
Smiling at her, he took the scarf back and then gently wrapped it around her neck. “I may not be worth much, but I like to think I can sew better than any other guy,” he joked.  
Returning the smile, she giggled. Shaking her head, she resumed their walk. “Oh, Lucas. You’re worth a lot more than you’ve just given yourself credit for.” 

 

In the few days it took for them to reach Solaceon Town, Dawn’s mood had steadily improved. However, there was still some lingering pain that she couldn’t shake. She knew she would never feel completely okay after what had happened, but she felt she should be feeling better. Taking a walk around the small town, she tried to let the evening air clear her mind. However, the prevalent farm smell wasn’t exactly her favorite. Though, the battle she found herself in was becoming her favorite.  
The girl, whose name she learned was Cynthia, was a powerful opponent to say the very least. Her Spiritomb was a force to be reckoned with. Monferno could hardly land a hit on the speedy pokémon, and any hit he did make seemed to hardly affect the ghost pokémon. Still, something about this battle was igniting something within her.  
Cynthia, however, could only feel the anger and sadness that Dawn was still giving off. She could see in the way Dawn held herself that something was troubling her. Their pokémon were even battle partners. Her newly caught Spiritomb wasn’t at the level of the rest of her party, but she wasn’t a pushover either. “It seems we’re at a stalemate,” she gently spoke.  
Dawn nodded in response.  
“Why don’t we call it an evening? The rate we’re going, it seems our pokémon will only fall once they’re exhausted,” She suggested.  
Looking down to Monferno, she saw that he was already walking back over to her. “Great job,” she said, kneeling down to his level. Rubbing his head, she returned him to his capsule.  
“You seem troubled,” Cynthia started, walking over to Dawn. “I won’t ask any intrusive questions, but I was invited to attend a choir rehearsal, and I would love it if you would join me.”  
While there were plenty of reasons to reject the offer, Dawn couldn’t bring herself to use any of them. Maybe it was Cynthia’s calm demeanor, but there was something about her that made Dawn feel safe. The church was close to the Pokémon Center, and Cynthia promised the event wouldn’t take too long.  
Cynthia exchanged a few words with the choir director before taking a seat with Dawn. The acoustics of the church gave complete life to everything they were singing. Each voice was clear and bright, but not too much so. Many of the hymns and songs sent a delightful chill through both spectators.  
Turning around, the director gave a short introduction to their next song. “Our final piece for the evening is entitled “Earth Song”, by Frank Ticheli.”  
_“See…Be…Live…See…_  
This dark stormy hour,  
the win, it stirs  
The scorched Earth cries out…  
In vain…In vain…  
Oh, war and power,  
you blind and blur  
The torn heart cries out  
In Pain…In Pain”   
At this point, the drastic swells and pure emotions that poured out of the choir was enough to bring tears to Dawn’s eyes.  
_“But music and singing have been my refuge_  
and music and singing shall be my light…  
A light of song, shining strong.  
Hallelujah! Hallelujah…”  
Tears began to stream down her face.  
“Through darkness and pain and strife  
I’ll Sing…  
I’ll Be…  
I’ll Live…”   
Furiously, she wiped at her eyes, trying to keep herself from crying any further. A calm stillness sat in the air, and she didn’t want to disturb that with her crying. Cynthia stood as the choir director lowered his hands. Dawn took this as a cue to stand as well.  
Thanking the choir for their work, the director turned to face the two girls. “What did you think?” He asked.  
Cynthia smiled. “It was absolutely beautiful Dr. Malone,” she told him.  
He then looked to Dawn, growing worried once he realized she was crying. “Thank you,” she whispered before walking out of the church.  
Cynthia’s footsteps echoed throughout the church as she walked towards the director and his choir. “I thank you all for inviting me to listen in on your rehearsal. Emotional doesn’t begin to describe this performance. I battled that girl earlier, and I get the sense she is going through a tough time. I think you all moved her in a way nobody else could have.”  
“And that’s what music is all about,” Dr. Malone said with a smile, a slow nod of agreement coming from the rest of the choir.  
Waiting outside of the church, Dawn looked up as the taller girl finally exited. “Thank you, Cynthia. That was just what I needed.” Her face was still warm from crying, but instead of leaving her feeling drained, it left her feeling refreshed.  
The blonde smiled. “Anytime. Just remember: find your inner peace. Whether that is with music, battling, or whatever. Never lose sight of that.”  
Filled with a new sense of being, Dawn once again thanked the blonde, and hurried back to the Pokémon Center. “Lucas!” She shouted upon entering their room. Her entrance had startled him, resulting in him dropping his book.  
“Yes?” He said, picking up his book and placing it on the side table. Excitement was clear on her face, and he couldn’t help but join in.  
“We’ve got work to do. On my walk, I realized, we’re in Sinnoh!” She began.  
He grinned. “Really? I thought we were in Kanto.”  
Rolling her eyes, she sat across from him. Not bothering with a retort, she continued. “No, no! Like, as in, Sinnoh Super Contests aren’t purely about beauty. Contests here are about the fun and entertainment as well! I think we need to toss out our old appeal with Monferno and Staravia and come up with a completely new one.”  
For a second, he was confused. After what had happened, he was sure that she wouldn’t even want to think about contests. Besides, they hadn’t even worked on that appeal in a couple of days. What kind of revelation had she experienced on her walk? Regardless of his confusion, he said, “I suppose you have something in mind?”  
“We use Numel and Stunky for the appeal round, and Monferno and Staravia for the battle round. I have an attack idea that will seal our victory with them. I thought of it for the appeal round, but I think it will work much better as a trump card of sorts.” He barely caught all of that since she was talking so fast, but the light in her eyes was more than enough to convince him.  
“Well, it will take more than a week to get to Veilstone, so we should have plenty of time to perfect whatever appeal you have in mind. Tell me more about it.” For the first time, in what felt like forever, she couldn’t contain her excitement. By the end of her explanation, Lucas was completely sold on the idea. With the combined power and beauty for this attack, the two were sure their victory was sealed. 

 

It ended up taking over a week to reach Veilstone City. The ten days were spent traveling with plenty of time wedged in to work on Dawn’s trump move idea. So far, everything was going accordingly, but it still wasn’t up to Dawn’s standards. Coming to the conclusion that they required more time, the two decided that they would stay in Veilstone City for a week before entering the contest.  
After checking into an extended stay hotel, the two dropped off their things, and headed for the contest hall. Once they were signed up for the following week’s contest they continued their training.  
Over the course of the week, the two were becoming more and more confident in their appeal. Their double battle abilities were also making leaps and bounds. The thought of winning was starting to seem completely realistic. With that in mind, Dawn had only one thought, _“I’ll show you, mom. I’ll show you just how much of a ‘disgrace’ I am to the Berlitz family.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: 10/30/17
> 
> hhhh howdy. so uh. before you say it's been a million years since i updated, let me explain u a thing. 
> 
> i'm. thinking of revising this? i know this is already technically a revise??? but yeah. i just. dont. write like this anymore. like, rereading through this, i'm amazed that i somehow was able to write thousands of words for battles??? so yeah. 
> 
> thinking of calling it Across The Cosmos, but who knows? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ sorry my dudes 
> 
>  
> 
> ~Tori 
> 
> ~~
> 
> Also, 
> 
> Hopefully the link works - http://youtu.be/1VwQ0XRvtTk
> 
> That should link you to "Earth Song". It's a great choir piece. Really moving.


End file.
